If I let you go
by burningSunset
Summary: He was irresistible. She was naive. But who could blame her? She thought she had found HIM, but all she did was to fall deeper and deeper into his love trap, until all she could do was to cry, and cry some more. FujixOC. Completed
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer : **I dont own prince of tennis nor any of its characters, but the OC characters are mine, and the story is mine!

**Author's note: **Alright, my first fic in prince of tennis! I hope you enjoy it! This first chapter is just to introduce my own characters. The action, or the story plot, or whatever you call that, starts right after, so keep up with me! :)  
**  
**

**Prologue**

"Hurry up, oniichan! It's our first day at that new school and we are already late!" yelled Harumi Yamazaki while trying to attach her hair, eat her toast and put on her socks all at the same time.

Her older brother, Katsuo, looked at her with sleepy eyes, then yawned splendidly.

"Don't get all worked up, Haru. It's just school. We are new, so we can just say that we got lost on the way there, no big deal."

"What did you say, Katsuo Yamazaki? "It's just school"?"

Katsuo let out a scream when he felt an unforgiving hand pull him by the ear.

"AOUCH! O-okasan, no, that's not what I meant."

"It better not be!" She let go of him.

The boy raised his head and met the dangerous glare of Mrs. Yamazaki.

"Now pick up your stuff and get outta here!" she ordered.

"Yes ma'am!" yelled the two siblings in sync while picking up their bags, putting on their coats and running out of the house.

Yuki Yamazaki watched her children leave, letting her frown become an amused smile.

"Behave yourselves at school!" she screamed after the running figures of Katsuo and Harumi in a much softer tone.

Harumi bought sushi on her way to school and knocked her brother KO when he tried to steal them from her. Finally, they arrived at the main entrance.

"Seshun Gakuen middle school Academy." read Harumi on the wall beside the door.

"Ok, my first class is over there." muttered Katsuo while checking his schedule.

"And mine is over there."

"Don't get lost, neechan." Her brother teased her.

"You stole the words right out of my mouth!"

"Ja!"

Her brother left while humming a melody of an American song. Harumi envied his lack of nervousness, because God save her, she was trembling inwardly! Even though she tried to convince herself that being in a new school was no big deal, she felt scared and lonely.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming from behind her. _Quick! Search! Search for a hiding place! _Her eyes rolled from left to right, then stopped on a spot right below the stairs. Without further thoughts, she rushed there and crouched underneath.

One second later, two guys wearing the blue and white uniforms of the Seigaku tennis club showed up at the main door. They were both breathing heavily from the long run.

"We… we are late"

"Fsshhh, urusei! You baka! If you hadn't interrupted my morning practice, I wouldn't be here right now!"

"Care to repeat all that, Mamoushi?"

"Want a fight?"

"Bring it on!"

The last bell indicating that classes were about to start rang throughout the entire school, interrupting Momoshiro and Kaidoh's fight. With a last glare, they ran in opposite directions to their respective classes.

Harumi let out a sigh. It wasn't the principal, as she had feared, but those two looked scary nonetheless. Someone poked her on the arm from behind. She shrieked. Two figures were watching her from the darkness under the stairs. It was a guy and a girl.

"Care to get out, now?" the guy asked in a rather furious tone.

Then she got it! And blushed violently! Mumbling words she didn't even understand herself, she stood up too quickly and knocked herself KO on the top wall of the stairs. When she opened her eyes and waited for the world to stop turning, the guy and the girl had already disappeared.

_Those things HAVE to happen to me… _

* * *

"Now come in, Yamazaki, don't be shy!"

Harumi blushed and took a decisive step forward. She hated being the new student. She stood in front of the class and looked uneasily at all those new faces. _Come on, Harumi, you can do this. You can. You definitely can_.

"H… hi, e…everyone! M… my name is Ha… Harumi Yamazaki. Nicetomeetyouall!"

She blushed violently and then bowed deeply to hide her face. The whole class exploded in laughter.

_Ok, maybe I couldn't do it after all._

The teacher's severe glare shut everyone up.

"Yamazaki, go sit over there. We are starting class right now."

"Hai!"

Harumi ran to the designated seat and sat down with a sigh. _It's ok, I just hate the first day at school, it has always been like this, but it will get better after a while...right?_

It was math class, the subject that Harumi was not particularly fond of. _Great way to start the day! I mean, it could have been anything… but it was mathematics. I hope the teacher doesn't ask me anything. I have made enough of a fool out of myself for one day._

When the teacher gave them exercises to do, she put her mind to it, for once. After 20 minutes, she lifted her head and realized with delight that she was the first one to finish. Satisfied, she sat back and smiled with relief. Her eyes wandered towards the window as she looked outside. It was a cloudy and cold day of winter. The trees she could see from her seat were barren, and everything seemed so gray. She sighed. Being in a new school during winter time was definitely not something she enjoyed.

She thought about the circumstances that led her to this present situation. It was quite simple, actually. Her dad was promoted and had to change offices. The new one was here in Tokyo. Since it was a good thing for daddy, with the promotion and all, Harumi had accepted to move without complaining. But seriously, leaving all her friends and her past life behind was too much for a 14 years-old girl.

"Yamazaki!" someone called her from some a very distant, blurry, unpleasant and "mathematical" world. She ignored it.

_I wish there was something here that would be fun to do. I mean, attending classes every day and then going back home is so boring. At least where I was before, we had clubs. I wonder if this school has some too. Hum... oh, there is something there..._

"Yamazaki!"

_Could it be... no, it can't be! Wait! It is, it totally is..._

"Yamazaki!"

" A TENNIS COURT!" she screamed, standing up with excitement.

"YAMAZAKI!"

Harumi turned around to see the furious face of her teacher at one inch of hers. Then she realized that she had just screamed "tennis court" in a loud voice and had ignored her teacher calling her name for the last minute. She backed away and sweat dropped.

Her teacher's eyes were sending sparkles. The other students were cackling behind their notebooks.

"I'm sorry, Sato-sama! I'm really sorry!"

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING? WERE YOU, BY ANY CHANCE, DAYDREAMING IN MY CLASS?"

"Yes! I mean no! Well, kind of!"

Harumi sighed inwardly. "I'm really sorry Sensei! I promise that it won't happen again!"

Sato-sama breathed heavily and calmed down with difficulty.

"Good. Then maybe now you can go to the front and do exercise 26-B like I asked you 10 minutes ago?"

"Sure thing, Sato-sama!"

Harumi rummaged through her papers and finally put her hand on her set of exercises. She went to the board and looked at her answers.

"26-B… 26-B… eto…"

Then she felt her world breaking up into a hundred pieces. Unable to say a word, she stared blankly at the wrong set of exercises that she just did.

* * *

When the last class ended, Harumi was exhausted.

_I had the worst day ever. The - worst - day - ever. Math class was a mess! The food at the caf was not meant for humans, and music class this afternoon was boredom reincarnated. It's not my fault if I can't sing! _

She picked up her stuff, sighed deeply, and went outside. A sharp and cold wind was blowing, so she tightened her coat around herself and rearranged her scarf. It was indeed a chilly day.

_Now, where was that tennis court that I saw from the math class window? _She looked right and left, trying to orientate herself.

"Hey, Yamazaki-chan! Yamazaki-chan!"

Harumi turned around and saw a girl her age running towards her. She recognized the long black hair and the big green eyes of the girl she met during lunch time.

"Oh, it's you, Amaya-chan. Please call me Harumi! What are you doing here?"

Amaya arrived at her level and tried to catch her breath.

"Are you going home already?"

"I haven't decided yet, because I thought I saw some tennis courts somewhere around here?"

Amaya's eyes sparkled.

"Yeah! Want to come? I will show you around!"

"Ok, I'd like that!"

The two girls hurried in direction of the tennis courts.

Harumi was getting quite excited. "You know, I had a feeling this morning, and even brought my tennis clothes! I didn't have a place for my racket, but I believe you have some in your club, right?"

"That's right! Neh, Harumi-chan? Do you happen to play tennis?"

They finally arrived at the tennis courts. Harumi's eyes were shining. "Well, I used to! But I stopped two years ago, so basically right now I'm back to where I started!"

"I don't think you are a beginner then. Even if you think you have forgotten how to play, I'm sure your body still remembers some moves."

"Hm… well, we will have to see about that!"

Even though it was winter, some players were still warming up in the different courts.

Some of the guys were wearing a blue and white uniform that Harumi recognized instantly. Amaya followed her gaze. "They are the Seigaku Regulars, a very strong team! The only team that has beaten them is the Hyotei team, but next summer they are going to take their revenge and definitely aim for the Nationals!"

"Hmm, that's interesting! Are they nice people? Cause some of them seem creepy!"

"Haha, you must be talking about Kaidoh, then. Don't worry! He looks like the devil, but he's just the I-play-with-kittens-when-no-one-is-looking type of guy!"

Feeling more reassured, and the catastrophes of the day forgotten, Harumi took Amaya's hand and ran with her to the girls changing room.

There, she opened her bag and took out a white and purple t-shirt with a white short. She put those clothes on, and then attached her honey-coloured hair in a ponytail. From the many rackets hanging from the wall, she chose one, tested its solidity and flexibility, and then swung it over her shoulder. Somehow she felt like a different person, more confident, less clumsy (at least she hoped!).

"Woah, Harumi-chan, you look great in those clothes!"

Harumi blushed only a little bit.

"Well, thank you, Amaya-chan!"

On her way out, she caught her reflection in a mirror hung beside the door. The girl in the glass did look quite fierce, with her tennis clothes, the racket on her shoulder and those deep purple eyes filled with fire and passion.

_Well, here goes nothing! Me playing tennis again, who would have thought? _

* * *

So! What do you think about the prologue? I know it's just the prologue, but please give me your opinion on the things you think should be improved, and all that stuff! anyway, if you are reading this right now, all i can tell ya is... THANKS FOR READING, and be ready for the next chapter, which is coming very soon!


	2. The Regulars

**The Regulars**

Full of energy and ready for a good practice session, Harumi opened the door of the girls changing room and stepped outside. Suddenly, the smile faded from her face as the cold wind enveloped her. Shaking badly, she ran back into the changing room and shut the door behind her, panting.

"Huh? What's the matter, Harumi-chan?" asked Amaya.

"It… it's so freaking c…c… cold outside!"

Amaya giggled. "Of course, silly. After all, it's winter!"

"Yeah, but..." she approached the window and looked at the Regulars standing there. "How can _they_ just stand there in the cold? It's as if they aren't feeling it at all."

Amaya looked at the Regulars as well. "The Regulars have all trained under much harsher conditions than this! But today is just a normal routine. Look, they are receiving instructions from Ryuzaki-sensei, their coach. I believe their warm up is coming up next. Why don't we join them?"

"Can we do that?"

"I guess… as long as we don't bother them. Anyway, their captain, Tezuka-san, is going to make them do laps around the court, as usual. And, if I am also right, there might be an element that will make them warm-up thoroughly!" she giggled again.

_An element? What could she be talking about? _

However, she quickly forgot about that when the enthusiasm of being able to practice with the Regulars overpowered her reluctance to go out in the cold.

_A real tennis player should not be stopped by a mere weather problem,_ she thought to herself.

Amaya opened the door, letting in a flow of icy air. Harumi shivered but didn't back off. She followed Amaya and started running towards the tennis courts. In her short clothes, she thought at first that she would drop dead right on the spot, but as her muscles started warming up, she felt better.

"Here we are!"

The two girls stopped behind the group of Regulars. A commanding voice reached Harumi's ears. "Well then, is it understood? 50 laps around the court for everyone. In this weather, if you do not warm up properly, you will either be sick or be injured. There are no tournaments at this time of year, but still, let's not get careless."

"Hai, captain Tezuka!" replied everyone.

"And…" a guy with glasses slipped in between a redhead and a guy wearing a bandana,"the last one to complete the laps will have to drink my new and now improved Inui remix vegetable juice. It is very good for the bones, and the taste has been thoroughly rearranged." He smirked, and his glasses shone briefly.

Harumi was stunned by the look of panic and disgust that invaded everyone's expression, and by Amaya's giggle. "That is the element I was talking about…"

Before she could finish her thoughts, all the Regulars had disappeared in a cloud of dust. Running for their lives, they started doing the laps.

"Well then, let's join them!"

"H…hai!"

Harumi and Amaya started running, trying to catch up with the Regulars, but they were too fast for them. After about 10 laps for the girls, the guys all caught up already from behind . Harumi looked back and saw that the bandana guy and a guy with dark hair that stood up on his head were leading.

"Move over, Viper!"

"Fssshhhhh!"

Suddenly, the redhead caught up and jumped over the dark-haired guy's shoulder to land in front of them. He was now leading.

"Hoi hoi! Number one!!!"

The redhead's big and dark blue eyes met those of Harumi for an instant. While still running towards her, he cocked his head a little bit to the side, seeming to wonder who she was and whether it was normal that he had never seen her around before.

"Hey…" He started in her direction, but never finished his thought as he was suddenly squeezed against the court fence by a guy brandishing a racket and yelling stuff in English.

"BURNING!!!!!" He shouted at the top of his lungs while swaying his racket like crazy in front of him in order to open up a path for him.

"I'm BURNING! Come on, BABY!" The poor Kikumaru finally managed to squeeze out of the confined space between his noisy teammate and the fence. As he fell behind once more, he brandished an angry fist in Takasan's direction.

A little guy wearing a cap was sprinting right in Takasan's track. He was wearing an amused smile.

"Hoi! Echizen, you did it again!" complained the redhead.

"Mada mada dane!"

That group passed by the two running girls without paying them further notice.

_Those are the Regulars? Well, their sanity is questionable, but at least they look like people with whom you can have fun!  
_

Harumi laughed good-heartedly. "Come on, Amaya-chan, let's catch up!"

"Hai!"

They turned the corner of the tennis court and heard more running footsteps behind them. Harumi looked back and saw the remaining Regulars coming their way. In the lead was the glasses guy. Beside him was captain Tezuka, apparently not rushing too much for the time being. Coming last, and smiling softly, was the last Seigaku Regular. Harumi met his gaze, (well, actually his fake gaze), and was a little bit stunned by his smile.

_Is he smiling at me? He is, he definitely is, at least I think so! But why?  
_

The smiling guy didn't let her debate on that matter with herself for much longer, because one second later, he had caught up with them. Instead of passing them by, like the others did, he slowed down and started running at their pace. Now that he was this close, Harumi felt more intrigued than ever.

"Hi there, he said, are you new?"

Alright, she didn't expect him to talk to her! For x reason, she suddenly felt her voice getting stuck in her throat.

_Now is not the time to be speechless! Voice, come back, I command you_! – she thought fiercely.

She opened her mouth…

"Yes. Today is my first day at school. I saw the tennis courts this morning and thought that I should check them out. It's been a while since I played tennis, you know, so I felt nostalgic. I didn't know that you guys practiced during winter, too."

She paused to catch her breath. _What are you doing, Harumi Yamazaki??? What on earth are you doing right now?_

Before she could stop it, her mouth opened again.

"At first I thought that I couldn't do it, you know, going out like this in this weather, but then I thought that a real tennis player should be able to play in any condition. I hope my tennis hasn't gotten bad. It's been more than two years. I still can't believe it. But I'm happy that I can finally have this opportunity again. It compensates for the sad moments during math class. You should have seen what happened this morning. It was a total mess. I…"

_HARUMI, STOP! _

Finally, she forced herself to stop. The guy looked at her, but she couldn't read what was going in his mind behind that smile of his.

_Oh no, oh no, oh no, he's probably laughing inwardly at me. And I would totally deserve it. What a baka I am, talking like that to a perfect stranger. I hate it. I hate that part of myself. I hate me, I hate me, I hate me. _

"I see." The Regular finally said. His smile somehow broadened. Harumi was now blushing furiously. She caught Amaya's surprised look and blushed even more. She didn't even dare look at the guy running beside her and even wished he would just go away before he could see her like this.

She pressed her eyes close together and counted until three, feeling certain that by that time he would have run far away from her for sure. Reason? She was crazy, she knew it herself and couldn't deny it.

_Okay, here it goes! One… two… three!! _

She opened one eye and looked carefully at her right.

_What a pain! He's still there!_

"Neh, he said, I am sorry, but I don't seem to know your name…?

"Oh… ano, it's Yamazaki Harumi! Nice to meet you…"

"I am Fuji Syusuke." He looked at her kindly. "Nice to meet you too."

"Neh, Fuji-san, the others have caught up!" commented Amaya. "At this rate, you know what's awaiting you, right?"

"You mean the Inui juice? Hum, actually I think it's pretty good."

Amaya sweatdropped. "Oh, that's right, I forgot that you are immune to it. Tss, lucky!"

Fuji smiled. "Still, it wouldn't do if I end up being the last one, would it? I will see you later then, Amaya-chan, Yamazaki-chan."

He then took his leave. Harumi looked at his back for a while, before sighing.

"He didn't notice how stupid I am. Lucky me…" she muttered to herself.

Amaya heard, and laughed.

"I don't think Fuji-san thought you were stupid, Harumi-chan. But… what on earth was that?!"

Harumi gave her a dangerous glare, then gave up and sighed again.

"It's just me being… me, I guess".

_I wish I were less awkward, sometimes. Oh well, you can't help your inner nature, right? _

After their warm up, Amaya and Harumi went to the girls' tennis court. There they were welcomed by a light-haired girl with a severe look on her face.

"Captain Mai." greeted Amaya "This is Harumi Yamazaki. She wishes to become a member of our tennis team".

Harumi fell on her head. "Amaya-chan! Since when did I say that I wanted to become…"

"Just in time, we were short by one member, interrupted the captain. Alright, I assume you have warmed up. Harumi-chan, being a member means that when the time comes, you will have to participate in the female tennis tournaments with us. In the meantime, you will have to follow the practice sessions of the team. I assume you are ready for that, hum?"

"No, I'm NOT! I can't play tennis anymore! I've forgotten everything! How can I participate in some freaking tournament with my level? If you want my death, just say so!"

"Come on, Harumi-chan! Joining the club will let you play tennis anytime you want. And since tournaments don't start until summer, you still have many months to improve your skills! I am in the club too, so you will be able to see me everyday!" Amaya said with a grin.

Harumi's eyes narrowed. "And since when THAT is a good thing? I can't believe you set me up like that, Amaya-chan! And I thought I could TRUST you! Now you have shattered my world to pieces! I don't think I can trust anyone anymore after this heartbroken betray…"

Amaya shut her up with a bang to the head. "Stop being melodramatic, Harumi-chan! The captain is waiting. Right, Mai buchou?"

Mai didn't smile at all. She pursued as if no one has spoken :

"Also, to join our team, you have to possess the required tennis skills. You will have to play two matches with two members of our team. Based on the results and on the skills you display, we will then take into consideration your joining application. Is that clear?"

"See? SEE? What did I tell you? I do NOT possess the required tennis skills!"

"Calm down! Buchou says that to everyone!"

Harumi crossed her arms and sulked. Amaya's eyes shone briefly. She got closer to her friend's ear and whispered.

"Just think about it, Harumi-chan! You will get to practice with other tennis players…"

Harumi threw an inquiring look at her.

"Other MALE tennis players…" she added.

"I don't CARE about that!"

"Other male and CUTE tennis players…"

Harumi smirked. "I see where you are going, but it's of no use! I'm not the perverted type, sorry to disappoint you."

Amaya got even closer. "Other male and cute and SMILING tennis players…"

This time she got it. If stares could kill, Amaya would have dropped dead on the spot. Harumi turned around to hide away her blushing face.

"I… I could consider that!" She sighed dramatically. "Just for you to leave me ALONE, I will say yes. But it's not because of… you know…! After all, my tennis does need more practice!

Amaya chuckled. "Of course, Harumi-chan!"

Mai popped up before Harumi from nowhere.

"Then pick two pieces of paper from this bottle with the names of your opponents written on them. Our team has 6 members right now. If you join, it will have 7 members, which is the right number. Ready to start?"

"Hai, Mai-san." she said with resignation.

"Mai _Buchou_." The captain corrected with a composed face.

"...Buchou." Harumi repeated with a sigh.

She then rummaged through the little pieces of paper and then picked up two of them from the bottle that Mai was holding. She unfolded the first one and read : Aika Hiroshou. She moved close to Amaya's ear and asked, "Aika? How is this person?"

"You are lucky this time, she is not really one of the strongest in our team, but you shouldn't get careless nonetheless."

Harumi stared at her. Amaya frowned. "Alright, I speak like captain Tezuka, so what? Go play your match!"

Harumi gave her a friendly shove, then winked. "Alright, alright. I'm getting excited!"

Harumi entered the court and saw Aika walking towards her. She was smaller than her, and her brown hair was short. Her eyes were brown as well and were shining with challenge.

"Let's have a good game." she said in a plain voice.

Harumi gripped her racket a little tighter.

_Bring it on, shorty! _

After they've decided who would play first, they both took their positions at opposite sides of the court.

"One set match, Yamazaki to serve."

Harumi lifted her racket and gripped the ball.

_This feeling… this feeling of excitement… I haven't felt it for a long time. And that's why I won't hold back! _

For the first time, the interior voices who were acting so cool all the time, and her external and usually shy self, merged into one. Her purple eyes shone briefly. The ball flew upwards, and Harumi's racket met it in mid-air. The ball described a straight path to the right corner of the opposite court.

"Yamazaki, 15 love."

"Service ace??" Amaya exclaimed, amazed. "To hell with those two years of lack of tennis!"

Harumi didn't smile. She took out another ball and hit it again. This time Aika returned it, and Harumi returned it back.

"It's a rally now!" Amaya commented. The other girls were starting to gather around their court in order to watch the match.

"Go back to your practice." commanded Captain Mai.

They all went away with reluctant expressions on their faces.

"No, analyzed Amaya, Harumi is only warming up. She's probably also regaining the feelings she hasn't experienced in two years."

At the end, Harumi ended the rally with a drop shot.

"30 love."

Aika gritted her teeth, and then positioned herself in a weird way. Amaya was surprised. "It's coming already? Aika must feel the pressure. Amazing."

When Harumi served the ball, Aika swung her arm entirely back, and then hit the ball, which traveled back at Harumi. Harumi held her racket tighter and ran to the net. The ball bounced before her, but then shot upwards in a vertical line and then dropped behind her in a lob. Harumi gasped in surprise.

"There it was, the Arrow shot" murmured Amaya. "What will you do, Harumi?"

"30 – 15."

After a few more rallies, Aika won the first game.

"Game Hiroshou, 1-0. Change courts."

Harumi smirked. "Hum, not bad". After three more games, she found a counter to the Arrow shot. When the ball was rising with super speed, she just jumped higher, and then returned it with a smash. After about half an hour, the referee announced:

"Game and match, Yamazaki, 6 games to 4."

Aika fell on her knees and tried badly to catch her breath. Amaya noticed with a shock that Harumi barely seemed tired. "She has an incredible amount of stamina. Sugoi!"

Mai-chan approached Harumi and said : "You did well for your first match. Go drink some water and get some rest. Can you do the second match today?"

Harumi smiled and winked. "No problemo, captain!"

"Very well, then. I will see you later."

Amaya hugged Harumi from behind. "That was amazing, Harumi-chan! I didn't know you had it in you!"

Harumi laughed wholeheartedly. "Well, me either! I will go and get some water, now! Please keep on practicing. I will see you in a while!"

After walking for some time, Harumi arrived at the water fountains, but couldn't wash her face nor drink the water because it was icy cold.

"Darn it!"

She wandered around and finally found a vending machine. She hesitated between a Ponta and a 7up, but then opted for the Ponta. While drinking it, she came across the guys' tennis courts. Ryuzaki-sensei was surveying the practice matches that were going on. Curious to see how the Regulars played, she approached the fence and looked into the courts. Not far from where she was standing, two first year girls were jumping excitedly.

_What are they so thrilled about? _

"Hurray, hurray, Ryoma-sama!!" screamed one of the girls while doing cheerleading poses.

"To… Tomo-chan! Please calm down!" pleaded the girl with two long braids. "It's not even Ryoma-kun's official match, it's just a practice session."

"But still!! Ryoma-sama is just so amazing! As the president of Ryoma-sama's official fanclub, I must cheer for him at all time! Hurray!! Hurray! Ryoma-sama!!"

The other girl sweatdropped.

"Neh, you are Harumi-chan, right?"

Harumi turned around and nearly fell on her back. _Ok, I know I'm tired from all the moving to Tokyo and from this morning's inhuman math treatment, but still, for my eyes to play tricks on me like that, it just ain't right! _

She closed her eyes, then opened them again, and still she was looking at two identical girls standing in front of her.

"My name is Naoki."

"And I am Naoko."

"We are the Kurunitsu sisters from the female tennis club. Nice to meet you!" they both said in sync.

"Ah… huh…yeah…"

_Okay, this is weird. I have never seen twins before, but at least I'm not going crazy. _Harumi noticed that the only thing differentiating them was that Naoki was wearing a red head band and Naoko a blue one.

"We heard about your match against Aika-chan! Sugoi! You really are something!"

Harumi shrugged. "Nah, now you are making me embarrassed."

The three of them laughed. Harumi turned towards the Regulars once more. "So, these are the famous Seigaku team members, huh? They do look pretty good!"

"They are awesome! – said Naoki – Naoko and I have played a doubles match against them in the past. They are really something. Even with our twin instincts, we couldn't beat them."

"Who did you play against?"

"Kikumaru Eiji and Shuichiro Oishi. They are also called the Golden Pair and are at Nationals level."

"Wow, are you serious? That's a pretty big accomplishment. The Nationals, huh? That's like... wow."

Harumi looked at the redhead and his partner. Kikumaru was, as usual, doing some acrobatic plays, and Oishi was returning his shots with the Moon Volley.

"They have some pretty cool moves, especially that Kikumaru guy!" Harumi exclaimed.

"You bet!"

Harumi then remembered having encountered Kikumaru's gaze earlier during warm up. _And his eyes are so cute, too_.

She giggled.

"What's so funny, Harumi-chan?"

Harumi snapped out of it and sweatdropped.

"AH, NOTHING, NOTHING! So, how about the other players?"

Naoko pointed her finger towards the bandana guy and said : "His name is Kaidoh Kaoru. His special moves are the Snake, the Short Snake and the Boomerang Snake. Oh, he just did that one. Did you see?"

Harumi was speechless and could only nod.

"It's well known that he's always bickering with that guy, Momoshiro. Momo-chan's specialties are the Jack Knife, the Dunk Smash, Super Dunk and any shot related to physical strength."

Naoki pointed to the muscled guy and said : "He is Kawamura Takashi. His Hadoukyu is really awesome! He changes into a totally different person when he holds a racket! It's funny!"

_Hum, a little bit like me_.

"And that is Echizen Ryoma. He's only a freshman, but he's incredible! During the first ranking tournament, he beat Kaidoh and Inui as if they were of no match to him. His Twist Serve and his ability to evolve during matches have even caught the attention of the captain."

"I see, I see, and he has his own fanbase, as well."

"Really? I didn't know that!" Naoko giggled "But he's quite the cutie, so I'm not surprised, really."

"Nah, I think that guy, that Kikumaru guy, is cuter!"

The twin sisters looked at her, and then smirked.

"Are you hitting on him already, Harumi Yamazaki?"

"Wh…what? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I'm just stating a fact, that's all"

"Oh, a fact, is it? Hum…?"

"Stop it, girls! Besides, just to give you another FACT, that guy is even cuter!" Harumi exclaimed, pointing at Fuji.

She then realized what she just said and wished she could die on the spot.

Smirking more than ever, the twin sisters approached.

"Hum…? Ain't that something? I guess you learn something new everyday! Fuji Syusuke! I can see why you are hitting on him. Who hasn't? He's a tennis prodigy. With his Triple Counters and his ability to analyze situations calmly, he is undefeated up until now."

Harumi was furious. "I am not hitting on anybody!"

"Right, right, it's just facts! We got it!" Naoko winked.

Harumi gave up. It was useless to fight against the twin sisters. "So what about the glasses guy?"

"Oh, that's Inui. He has two specialties: Data Tennis, and the Inui Juice. Which one is deadlier? Well, we are still debating on that."

"And finally, Captain Tezuka…."

"He really is something." sighed Naoko lovingly.

Harumi seized the opportunity like lighting! "You are hitting on him! You are hitting on him, alright!"

Naoko looked at her with big eyes and Harumi smirked like the devil. Naoko played with her braid absent-mindedly and sighed : "Yeah, you are right. I'm hitting on him. Since I first set eyes on him. I mean, what an amazing man! He's the hottest captain ever! And the Tezuka Zone he uses… man… I feel attracted to him at the same time as the ball…"

The other two sweatdropped.

"Si…sister, I think you are going too far."

"Not at all, not at all. I'm just being honest with my feelings, you know?"

"Then have you told him, Naoko?" asked Harumi.

"About what?"

"About your feelings!"

She finally took her eyes off her dear captain.

"Are you insane, Harumi-chan!? Look at him! Does he look like the kind of guy that you would just invite to your house in order and tell your feelings to over a cup of tea?"

"Ano... yeah."

"Ano NO! I think he wouldn't even notice that I've spoken to him! That would be too heartbreaking. I can't do it."

Naoko seemed on the verge of tears.

"Now, now, sister, don't get all worked up again!" sighed Naoki.

"You don't understand, Naoki! I really do ache for him all the time!"

"Er…hehe, funny… eer, Naoko, stop it."

Harumi wasn't listening anymore. She was watching the Regulars play. There was just something so full of passion about all of them. Suddenly, a move caught her attention. She turned left just in time to see one of the coolest moves ever! And of course, it was performed by the tennis prodigy, Fuji Syusuke! The ball hit the ground and then crawled all the way out of the court.

"Tsubame Gaeshi!" someone cried out in awe.

Harumi couldn't believe her eyes. She gripped the fence, a fire burning in her eyes.

"Tsu…tsubame Gaeshi? Fuji-san, you truly are awesome. Someday, I am going to be as good as you, and I will play against you!"

She smiled. _But for now, let me just enjoy his match. I have never seen such tennis before! _

"Harumi-chan? Harumi-chan!"

"Huh? Ha? What?" She finally turned back to the twin sisters who have finally stopped their bickering about Tezuka. Naoki scratched her head. "Geez, you truly are drawn to Fuji-san, aren't you? I have been calling your name for the last minute!"

Harumi jumped back and waved her hands before her!

"Sorry, sorry!! None of that, please! I was watching him play, you know? As in, watching his tennis, and not watching him! Although, you have to watch him when you watch his tennis, it's just obvious! So you can't blame me on watching him when I'm actually watching his tennis because…"

"Yamazaki!"

She jumped again, startled. "Oh, it's you, Mai-chan! I mean, Mai _Buchou_. Gomen, gomen! You want me to play my second match, right? I'm on my way! Anyway, so, bye girls!"

Naoki narrowed her eyes as Harumi ran away. "Saved by the captain."

"Still, it's very cute – mused Naoko – it's so obvious that she has already fallen for that Fuji guy."

Naoki sighed and nodded. "Oh well, let's hope it stays a crush, cause when you get serious with Fuji, things turn bad. I mean, as a nice guy, you can't find a better match, but…"

"Yup, agreed."

* * *

Alright, so that was another chapter! Please review and tell me if you like this story or not, cause if no one reads it, well it would be pointless to keep on going, right? Just gimme your opinion, whether its positive or negative! and once again, if you are reading this, CONGRATULATIONS!! and thank you very much! LOL. 


	3. Never give up

**Author's note: **Nya, I'm really having a great time writing this fanfic! i stopped writing stuff like one year ago and im just beginning to realize how much ive missed it. anyway, this little note is not about rambling on my personal life, but to thank the people who have read and took the time to write reviews! Well, actually, the two people who reviewed, LOL. To them, I say thank you for the advice, and of course, I will keep updating as fast as I can! Now, i will leave you with the story!

**Never give up**

After seeing the Regulars play, Harumi was all fired up for her second match. She unfolded the other piece of paper and read the name that was on it : Chiharu Shima. Amaya greeted her and then introduced the tall and beautiful girl that was standing beside her : "Well, this is your next opponent, Chiharu-chan."

Chiharu shook Harumi's hand. "Nice to meet you!"

"Yeah, me too. Let's have a good match!"

"Alright!"

Harumi soon found out that Chiharu was a lot tougher than Aika. She always calculated her shots, and her accuracy was quite scary. Harumi noticed that her own play was pretty lame compared to hers. But as she remembered the Regulars' determination, she got a hold of her nervousness. If she lost to her, she would probably not be accepted in the team. She knew that a while ago, she really didn't feel like joining, but now that she has engaged herself to do it, she did not like the impending feeling of failure.

She contracted her muscles, and tried to predict the path of the ball, but Chiharu's shots were just too fast for her eyes to follow, to the extent that all that she could see were blurry yellow bands. When it was her turn to counterattack, she used all the moves she knew, but it seemed that Chiharu could return them all.

"Darn it. I can't find any weaknesses. At this rate…"

"Game to Shima, 4 – 0."

Harumi didn't panic. _I have to think about my strong points and use them wisely. But what if I've got none?  
_

And then suddenly, she got an idea. She smiled slightly and gathered all her speed as she projected herself across the ball's trajectory. Her racket met it just before it bounced on the ground and sent it to the far corner of the opposite court, forcing Chiharu to run back.

_I just remembered that I DO have a strong point. It may not be much, but it is better than nothing! _

The rallies were followed by more rallies. Amaya checked her clock and noticed that the match had been going on for an hour already.

"So how's our almost teammate doing?"

Amaya turned around and saw the twin sisters coming.

"The score is now 5-3 for Chiharu. There are two more points before the match point. This match has been going on for more than an hour. I have this feeling that Harumi is up to something, but I don't know what it is."

Naoki scratched her chin. "Chiharu is a deadly opponent. I have played against her once or twice. It seems like she knows what you are thinking. It's creepy. Anyway, if Harumi has a plan, she should use it now, or else she won't get another chance."

After some more minutes, the score that the referee announced was 40-15 for Chiharu.

"Hoi hoi! It's match point!"

The girls all turned around to see Kikumaru running towards them. The rest of the male team wasn't far behind. Aika and the captain approached as well.

Aika waved her hand. "Eiji! Aren't you in the middle of your practice session?"

"Practice is over for today. Things seem to be more interesting over here anyway, nya!"

The Seigaku members all paused to watch the match.

Echizen rearranged his cap. "Hum… that new girl sucks!"

"Nyaa! Don't be so mean, ochibi!"

Unaware of the new onlookers' presence, Harumi was finally starting to lose her stamina. Her plan was simply to drag the match for as long as she could in order to make her opponent lose her stamina, but now it seemed to be working against herself as well. As drops of sweat kept on rolling from her forehead to fall in her eyes, she groaned as she quickly wiped them away with one hand, as with the other she caught up with the ball just in time to send it back.

"Not good... not good..."

She was panting wildly, trying to breath in some air into her burning lungs. Her legs felt numb. The racket kept on slipping from her sweaty hand. She propelled her body forward and lobbed the ball back to Chiharu's back court.

"This... doesn't... look good for me - she muttered - if this girl scores one more point, she is going to beat me flat!"

Chiharu sent the ball back and when Harumi caught up with it, she almost lost her racket because of the power of the shot. She didn't understand how Chiharu still had that kind of energy.

Harumi didn't have any real special moves for tennis. The only thing she could do was to rely on her technique, which wasn't all that exceptional either. Holding her racket tighter, she hit the ball and then ran to the net. Chiharu hit a lob, making her run back again. Harumi returned the ball with all her strength, but Chiharu caught up with it and returned it again. Panting, Harumi lowered her racket and hit a drop shot. Chiharu's eyes widened with panic as she ran to the net.

"Chiharu is no going to make it on time." stated Amaya.

"Yes, but it doesn't really matter." said Echizen.

They all understood what he meant when the ball hit the net and then bounced back into Harumi's court.

"Damn it!" she exclaimed.

"Game and match, Shima, 6 games to 3."

Panting, she wiped the sweat from her brow, and walked out of the court. She met up with Chiharu at the door. The red headed girl stuck out her hand and smiled. "It was a good game, Harumi-chan! I haven't been this pressured in a game for a long time! It feels good!"

Harumi sighed, but shook her hand nonetheless. "Well, it doesn't feel that good from my perspective, but I won't hold any grudges because I gotta admit that you are really good. However, I will beat you next time for sure!"

"I will be looking forward to our next match, then!" Chiharu replied while tapping her shoulder with her racket. The two girls stared at each other for awhile, and then smiled to each other.

It was only at that moment that Harumi finally noticed the other Seigaku members looking at them. She was at first afraid of the fact that they have seen her lose, but soon, they all surrounded her to congratulate her on her play. Feeling really warm inside, she laughed and thanked them. She caught a glimpse of Fuji's smile before being intercepted by Captain Mai.

"It's alright. You pass". As usual, she didn't show any emotions, but Harumi was too happy to care. She even took the captain's hand and shook it. "Thank you very much, Captain! I don't why I passed since I lost my second match, but that's not important! I will work hard from now on, you can count on that!"

"How about we all go eat some hamburgers?" Momoshiro proposed with his thumb up.

"I'm in." said Echizen in a plain voice.

"Count me in too! – Kikumaru exclaimed – come on, Oishi, let's go!"

Just like that, Seigaku's male and female teams headed for the hamburger restaurant in town. Harumi smiled and laughed with them, feeling that being there at that moment was where her heart belonged. She finally felt at home.

* * *

The next day, Harumi was late again. Running in the corridors and looking for the right classroom, she was cursing her brother under her breath. "That baka oniichan! If he hadn't stolen my breakfast, this wouldn't be happening. I can't be late too often so that to attract the principal's attention, dammit." 

She paused and took out her schedule. It was an English class. She looked around desperately, but it was of no use. She was lost and there weren't anymore people in the corridors except for herself. Suddenly, she heard running footsteps coming her way. One moment later, she was surprised to see Kikumaru rushing towards her.

"Kikumaru-kun! Thank God you are here! Where is the English class?"

"Hoi? You have English as well? We are in the same class then. Hurrryyyy, we are really late."

"Well, I kind of noticed, you know? But you are right, let's hurry!"

She ran in his tracks. _So I'm in the same class as Kikumaru? Great! At least there will be someone that I know in that class! _

They finally arrived at the right classroom, panting. The teacher wasn't particularly pleased, but didn't punish them this time. Harumi was relieved. The teacher noticed her being new, and introduced her to the class like the day before. Somehow, Harumi was feeling more at ease today, so she spoke without nervousness, for once.

Quite relieved that she didn't attract more attention than necessary, she looked at the other students and noticed someone else she knew!

_Aika-chan!_

She smiled at her, but Aika just scolded her and then looked elsewhere. _She's probably still mad about yesterday's match._ She sighed inwardly.

"Alright Yamazaki. Thank you for your introduction. Now, about your seat… there is a vacant one beside Fuji."

_FUJI?!_

She looked in his direction and saw him looking at her with his usual enigmatic smile. Her mouth curved into a confused smile as she sat down behind her desk.

_I can never know what his smile is for, but oh well, now is not the time to be thinking about that! There are so many people that I know in this class! I definitely love English already!!_

As the class dragged on, however, she soon started to feel bored to death. After a discreet glance at Fuji, she noticed that he was looking outside the window. _Heeeh, so he's not the super duper geek type, huh?_

"So, Yamazaki, how about you read that passage for us?"

Harumi reported her attention to the book in front of her, but it was too late. She was completely lost.

"Huh… sure…just a minute…"

Fuji turned towards her and whispered : "Page 46, paragraph 2."

"Sankyou, Fuji-san" she whispered back with gratitude. Then she started reading. _Amazing, and he wasn't even listening. Maybe he's the super duper class genius type after all._

When class was about to be over, the teacher demanded everyone's attention and said:

"As you probably all know, winter break starts in about one week. Before that, I would like you all to write an essay about the topic we discussed today. The deadline for that is next Wednesday. Then after that time, it's 5 marks off per day. Here is the sheet with all the instructions. Please pass them around. That's all for today. You are dismissed."

Harumi sighed. Even though she was an okay student in languages, writing essays sucked because she never had any inspiration. Behind her, Kikumaru collapsed on his desk.

"Not fair – he muttered – why an essay? Why?"

Harumi turned back on her seat. "I know…it sucks, huh? Do you think I can skip it because I'm new? After all, I have only been introduced to this topic today."

"And you weren't listening." Fuji said in a teasing tone.

Harumi put on her sulky face. "Well, you weren't listening either, Fuji-san"

"Fujiko, please help us out on this one." pleaded Kikumaru.

Fuji remained obstinately silent.

"Oh come on, Fujiko! I will buy you food today! How's that?"

"Please! Fuji-san!" Harumi joined her efforts with those of Eiji, somewhat amused by the situation.

"Hmmm… still no."

"Fuji, you big meanie, nya!"

The tennis prodigy (and super duper class genius?) finally gave in. "Just kidding, Eiji! I'm not THAT sadistic. I know you will probably fail without me. So, how about you both come over during the weekend?"

For diplomatic purposes, Eiji chose to ignore the "you will fail without me" statement, which was so typically Fuji, and rather focused on an excited : "Seriously? Sugoi! Fuji, you are the best!", before jumping from his seat and hugging his friend.

Harumi didn't quite believe her ears. _Did I just get invited to Fuji's house? No way…_

"Yeah, thank you, Fuji-san. I will repay you one of these days, for sure." she said, really thrilled.

Fuji let out a small laugh.

* * *

During lunch time, Harumi went to a table near the window and sat down slowly. Her mind was still back in that English classroom. _I can't believe he invited me to his house even though he doesn't know me all that well yet. He really is a kind person, even though he likes to appear to sadistic at times! Ok, I'm getting too excited. Need to calm down. Take a bite of food, there!_

She took a sip of water. Her mind then wandered towards tennis. She was really happy she could play tennis again, and that she hasn't gotten any worse, and that she could join the female tennis club, and that she had such amazing teammates.

When she lifted her head, she saw Fuji standing in the cafeteria, probably looking for a place to sit. Before she knew what she was doing, she waved her arm at him and caught his attention. Harumi was frozen still. She directed a dangerous glare at her own arm, and then blushed when she saw Fuji coming her way.

Fuji sat down in front of her and took out his lunch. Harumi forced herself to be casual.

"So, where are your teammates, Fuji-san?"

"They all have different classes, so they will probably come later. But I bet Inui is in the science labs again."

"Is that juice of his really bad?"

"It would seem that way, although I find it pretty good myself!" He chuckled.

Harumi suddenly saw what Fuji was eating. "Sugoi! You have sushi today!" She refrained herself from drooling, but her eyes were shining with pleasure. Fuji laughed at her expression, then pushed his lunch towards her.

"You can have some, if you want."

"Thank you, Fuji-san!" Without any further thoughts, she dug in. "Hmmm, this is so good."

_Amazing sushi! So delicious! Miami!_

Then she forced herself to stop, finally realizing that she had just engulfed half of his lunch.

"Go… gomen! I'm really sorry, Fuji-san – she whispered, shocked by her own actions – hum… you can have some of mine. My mom made it, it's quite good. Please help yourself! I am very sorry!"

Fuji smiled, amused. "No need to apologize. These are the sushi from Taka-san's restaurant. I bought them this morning. We can go there anytime!"

Harumi, realizing that Fuji really wasn't mad, sighed in relief. Then the word "we" sank in, leaving her blushing violently. She was saved by Amaya, who came by running to her at that moment.

"Harumi-chan! I have something I'd like to ask you. Oh, hi there, Fuji-san!"

Fuji nodded in greeting.

"What is it, Amaya-chan?" Harumi inquired.

Amaya gave her a piece of paper. "This is an invitation to go to my cottage up in the mountains during winter break. You can invite whoever you want, too!"

"Really? That's awesome! I've always wanted to live in the mountains for a while!"

Without thinking any further, she turned towards the boy sitting at her side and said: "Oh well, why don't you come as well, Fuji-san?"

Amaya giggled inwardly. She knew Harumi would invite Fuji. She was just so predictable… SO predictable. Fuji looked surprised for a moment.

"Well, if you are sure about this, Harumi-chan…"

"Sure about what?" interrupted Kikumaru with his usual enthusiasm.

"Ah, Eiji. We just got invited to a mountain cottage during winter break!"

"Really? Can I go too? Neh?"

Harumi directed a questioning glance towards Amaya, who smiled. "Of course, I don't see any reason why not."

"Hey!!! I hope you are not leaving us out!" exclaimed Momoshiro from behind her.

Amaya turned around and sweatdropped when she saw the entire guys team standing there.

"Can you please stop popping out from nowhere?"

"Oh, Momoshiro was definitely somewhere, more precisely behind that table." smiled Fuji.

"Evil Fuji..." mumbled Momo with a frown.

"Even _I_ noticed that he has been eavesdropping your conversation for a while, now." grinned Eiji.

"Kikumaru senpai! Not you too??"

Everyone laughed.

"Alright, alright, since you are all nice guys, I will say yes." Amaya crossed her arms. "After all, the more the merrier, right?"

"Sugoi!!" yelled Kikumaru. "Hoi!" He jumped on a table and cheered.

"Eiji, that's dangerous!" Oishi commented in a worried voice.

"Nya!"

Harumi pulled her friend away from the others.

"Are you sure your cottage is big enough for all these people?"

"Oh, don't worry about that! It could contain twice as much without problem!"

_Just what kind of cottage does she have…_

"What are we going to do up there?" sighed Echizen without enthusiasm.

"Skiing, of course." Amaya replied.

"Skiing???" Everyone echoed.

"Sounds like fun!!!" Eiji exclaimed.

* * *

For Harumi, the weekend couldn't come quick enough. Friday morning, during breakfast time, she was sipping distractedly from her glass of milk. In her mind, the words _one more day, one more day_, kept flashing while emitting excited signals. And of course, the memory of what had happened THAT moment during Thursday's English class only stirred up her emotions even more. 

She was nearly falling asleep, listening to the teacher's dull voice reading an excerpt of some American guy's novel, when Fuji had poked her on the arm. Instantly awake, she had raised her head to see him slip a piece of paper onto her desk. She had unfolded it, and at first only had read a bunch of numbers. Then, she realized it was his phone number, and her heart had stopped beating for a second or two. She was really surprised at this unexpected and sudden action from Fuji until she read the little message below it.

It said that he wasn't able to attend class on Friday, so he wanted to tell her in advance that Eiji and him would be waiting for her in front of Taka-san's sushi restaurant Saturday at 11 am. "_If you need something, just call me."_ said the last part of the message.

Trying to oppress her emotion, she had met Fuji's eyes and had nodded with a smile.

Recalling that moment, she started grinning with content. Katsuo looked at her from above his toast, a suspicious look on his face.

"Neh, Nee-chan! You are drooling in your milk!"

Without looking at him, she hit him on the head. "Shut up for once oniichan. I'm thinking."

"I didn't know it was within your capacities." he mumbled, which earned him another shove on the head.

* * *

During her first class, which was chemistry, she wondered why Fuji couldn't be here today. She tried to remember the lab instructions, but Fuji's face kept popping up in her mind. She didn't understand the phenomenon, really, she just didn't. 

She knew she was obsessed with tennis lately, and therefore with Fuji, since he was a tennis prodigy, but still, her grades were going downhill and at this rate she would soon attract the principal's attention. Even though she hated school, failing miserably wasn't part of her plans.

She would still be fine for some time under the "I'm new here" cover, but once that had been used up, she should get herself together and start concentrating more on her work. _This winter break is a good thing. I need to relax and to get away from all this. Oh no, not true, Fuji and the gang will be with me up on the mountains. Geez, I don't know if I should be happy or not about this. Anyway, for now, it's better to concentrate on this annoying experiment. _

_Hum… add 1 ml of… ugh this weird substance with a complicated name._

Carefully, she measured the required quantity and poured it in the flask. The liquid inside it let out some bubbles, then started boiling.

_Yata! I got a reaction from it!_

However, her jubilation soon became distress when the mixture started smoking, turned in a dark-green color and made the flask explode.

As punishment, of course, she had to clean up not only her mess, but the entire lab. The teacher was furious at her for "having destroyed such expensive material and nearly giving her a heart attack", to quote her own words.

Now the lab was empty except for Harumi cleaning the mess on the floor with a wet towel.

"Need a hand?" offered suddenly a girl's voice, startling her.

"Oh, it's you, Chiharu-chan! Well, it's okay, please don't bother, or else you will be late for your tennis practice."

Even out of her tennis clothes and in a plain jeans and t-shirt, Chiharu was startlingly beautiful.

_Long red hair, big green eyes… geez, I feel so plain beside her._

And Harumi didn't like to feel plain. She knew she wasn't a celestial beauty or anything, but she wasn't ugly either. Those deep purple eyes of hers are really what she was the most proud of. That was why Harumi didn't like to be seen with Chiharu, but since she was being so nice today, she didn't feel like making her go away.

So, finally, they started to clean up together. For some time, they worked without speaking, but finally Harumi broke the silence. "Chiharu-chan, I feel bad for making you do this. I'm sure you'd prefer a hundred times more to be on a tennis court right now."

"Who wouldn't? But there's no point today since practice has been canceled."

Harumi didn't try to hide her surprise. "Really? How come?"

"Buchou said it's because it's too cold."

"Hm… are you serious? I thought Mai-chan wasn't the kind of person who would suspend practice just because of the weather."

"Well, actually, even though she's strict with everybody, deep inside she cares about us more than anything else. The cold has gotten a lot worse since this morning. She didn't want anyone to fall sick. I heard it's going to snow tonight and tomorrow morning."

Harumi stood up and went to the sink to wash her dirty towel. She looked out of the window and saw the empty tennis courts.

"Damn, then it must be really nasty outside. Even Tezuka's team is not there."

Chiharu smiled. "But knowing these guys, they are probably participating at some indoors activity. They can't stay put, even for one afternoon."

They both laughed at that. _Finally, Chiharu is a nice person. You can't stay mad at her for long. Oh well, I guess we can be friends. After all, it's not her fault if she's pretty._

When they both finished cleaning, Chiharu took her leave, saying that she had some shopping to do before going home.

"Alright! Thank you again for your help! I will see you on Monday, then!"

"Yeah! See you!"

When Harumi got out of the building, she couldn't help but to shiver. _Damn, Chiharu wasn't lying, it sure is colder than usual. Brrr, I'm already freezing. _

She rearranged her scarf and put her hands under her armpits to keep them warm. The walk back home had never seemed so long. Just before entering town, she passed over a bridge. At the middle of it, she stopped and looked down at the river that was flowing noisily towards some distant place. She didn't know why she had stopped, since she already couldn't feel her feet and her ears anymore, but some deep feeling just made her do it. She looked a moment at the troubled waters, then at the left shore. It was desert, of course. Who would stay outside in such weather?

She shook her head and then crossed the bridge. When she addressed a last glance to the barren shores, she saw a lonely figure under the bridge. She recognized him instantly.

_Fuji-san? What's he doing here?_

A little bit worried, she approached him silently. Leaning against the wall of the bridge, he was looking into the waters. And he had his eyes open. It was the first time that she's ever seen him look like this. He hasn't noticed her presence yet, and she was more than ever hesitant to let him know she was there.

_He seems so anxious! I wonder what could be troubling him so?_

"Fuji-san?" she asked in a hesitant voice.

Fuji lifted his head, clearly startled by the sound of her voice. For a moment, she gazed directly into his eyes for the first time.

_So blue. So… pure._

Somehow that look made her hands start shaking. Then it was over. He recognized her and closed his eyes in a smile. His usual smile.

"Ah, Harumi-chan, it's you."

She ran to him. "Are you okay, Fuji-san? What is wrong?"

He shook his head gently. "No, I'm fine. What are you doing in a place like this?"

She looked at him, still worried. "I was just about to ask you the same thing. What's the matter?"

Fuji looked at the river again. "I just needed some time alone to think. Please don't worry." He gave her a reassuring smile.

Harumi didn't buy that smile at all. Impulsively, she took his hand and was startled at how cold it was.

"Whatever, Fuji-san. But don't think in the cold. Come!"

Fuji opened his eyes again and looked at her, both surprised by her gesture and the sincerity that he could read in her eyes. Without letting him protest any further, she led him on the road and into town. Five minutes later, Harumi noticed a coffee shop on the side of the street, and pulled Fuji inside. When she finally got out of the cold, she instantly let out a sigh of relief.

"There, doesn't it feel much more better in here?"

Fuji still looked a little bit lost, but he gave her a true smile this time, and rubbed his hands to warm them up. "Yes, it does"

Harumi looked around and was pleased to notice that it was a nice place. The customers were all talking merrily, happy to be in a warm place.

"There is a vacant table over there" said Fuji, leading the way. Harumi was pleased to see that he seemed a little more cheerful.

They sat down, and Harumi asked for two hot chocolates. "It will be my treat, Fuji-san." She announced firmly. Seeing that look, Fuji gave up, of course.

They remained silent while waiting for their drinks. When they arrived, Harumi took hers in both hands, thrilled to feel the hot sensation spreading through her palms. She took a careful sip and exclaimed : "Sugoi! This is good!"

Fuji looked at her with a smile, then agreed with her after drinking it, as well. Soon, they both felt warm again. Harumi remained silent and watched outside the window while she slowly finished her drink. When she met Fuji's eyes once again, she was surprised by the inquiring look on his face.

"Hum…? What's that expression for, Fuji-san?"

Fuji rested head on his hands. "So, aren't you going to ask me why I was under that bridge?"

"Not really"

"Oh!" After a while : "Then why did you bring me here for?" He sounded a little bit lost.

"Well, I just wanted you to think in a warm place, like I have told you before. So now, you can take your time and think to your heart's content. In the meantime, I will ask for another drink." She winked.

Fuji was speechless for a moment.

Harumi gave him a small smile. "Unless you want to tell me."

Fuji remained silent and thoughtful. Harumi ordered another hot drink. When the waiter came and then went away again, Fuji suddenly said :

"My sister is really sick."

Harumi's eyes widened with shock.

"What? When? Is it serious?"

She wasn't prepared at all for this sudden confession. She thought he wouldn't tell her anything. Fuji was very calm, at least only in appearance.

"Yesterday, she told us that she felt a little bit tired, so she went to bed early. No one thought it was something serious, so we just let her rest for the night. And depending on how she felt on the morning, we would consider whether or not to take her to the hospital for a quick check. Since Yuuta has his exams today, I proposed to be the one doing it if she ever needed it. But even then, I didn't think it would come to that..."

Harumi felt a feeling of foreboding invading her entire body. Now that he was starting to tell her everything, she was suddenly afraid. She didn't know why.

"Yesterday - Fuji pursued, his eyes on the table - when I came back home after school, I found her unconscious on her bedroom floor. I tried to wake her up, but nothing worked. So I called an ambulance and took her to the hospital. I stayed with her all night, but the doctors couldn't find out what was wrong with her. And then I overheard them saying that if her present state persists... then... it could become life-threatening."

Harumi was frozen on her seat. Even though she had never met Fuji's sister, it was obvious that he cared deeply for her. Fuji took a deep breath and managed somehow to calm down, even to smile.

"But that's all hypothetical, right? There is only a possibility that she could get worse...So, I just needed to cool down my thoughts a little bit, and that's why I went outside."

"F... Fuji-san..."

_What do I say to him? He's waiting there for me to comfort him. What do I say?  
_

_He doesn't want to show that he is afraid, but he is. That's just understandable. I wonder how I would feel if someone from my family were is his sister's position..._

"Don't give up." she finally whispered.

She locked her eyes with his to show that she meant what she was saying.

"You can't give up on her, Fuji-san. I am sure that she is fighting with all her strength right now, and that she will keep on fighting, no matter what. But don't let her fight alone. She needs her brother. She needs him to not lose hope and to keep on believing in her!"

Fuji didn't say anything.

Harumi turned her cup in her hands absent mindedly. She couldn't read what was on his mind.

In a warm tone, she continued: "I know that you are scared, Fuji-san. I would be scared too. But you can't let that fear drive your actions, especially in a time like this. I don't know what to say to comfort you... probably nothing could do that right now. We just need her to get better, right?"

Fuji slowly raised his eyes towards her, and nodded.

"Then we have to believe in the doctors and in her own strength. And you have to be strong too, Fuji-san, for her sake."

"But... there is just nothing that I can do..."

"You can be with her."

Seeing his hesitation, she said. "Yes, that's right, you have somewhere you have to be right now, Fuji-san."

Fuji remained silent for another second, before suddenly standing up. "I understand."

Harumi nodded her encouragement. "Remember, just never give up!"

She watched as he put on his coat and ran out of the coffee shop, out into the cold winter night.

* * *

Oki, oki, one more done! And it was a long one, huh? Well, it's all good since I have quite some inspiration this last few days! Please read and review, then! No need for it to be a novel, just tell me what ya think in simple english, that will be more than enough! Thank you!! 


	4. Saturday's hobby

**Saturday's hobby**

It was Saturday morning and the alarm had been ringing for at least five minutes now.

"Nee-san! Can you shut that thing up? For God's sake, some people are trying to sleep in this house!" – resounded Katsuo's angry voice all the way from his bedroom.

Harumi moaned, only half-awake, and then shivered in her blankets. She reluctantly stretched one arm out of warmth and into the cold air of her bedroom to crush her fist on the "noisy bastard".

The silence enveloped once again the Yamazaki residence.

Harumi tried to return to that peaceful state before the ringing started, but she couldn't. _Why did I set up my alarm on a Saturday? Geez, I want my own death._

With a final sigh, she wrapped the blankets around her body and got up. She sat down in front of the mirror and looked at the sleepy girl that was staring back at her. She remembered all too well what had happened the day before.

_That thing with Fuji-san…_

She was desperately hoping that his sister had made it. The night before, she wanted to call him, but didn't want to disturb him if he was in the middle of something, at the hospital. _No, that's not it. The truth is that you were afraid, Harumi Yamazaki. You were afraid that the optimistic things you've said to him in the coffee shop were only a mere illusion. You were afraid to find out in which state he would be if the worst had happened. You were scared, Harumi, and you still are._

She let go of the blanket and shivered again while getting off her pajamas and putting on her clothes. She looked at the time, it was only 8 in the morning. She went downstairs to the kitchen and made herself some tea. She wasn't hungry. She had been looking forward to this day since the moment Fuji had proposed to her and to Eiji to come to his house.

_Oh well, we can all forget about that now._

She wondered if the rest the tennis team knew about this, but something told her and they didn't. Somehow, she was getting the impression that Fuji wasn't the open type about his personal life. If she hadn't happened on that bridge at that time, she probably would have never known about it.

"ANYWAY!" – she screamed unconsciously in a VERY loud voice.

"NEE-SAN!!!!" A very furious Katsuo appeared at the top of the stairs, his eyes red from the lack of sleep. "Will you shut up???"

Harumi sweatdropped and backed off, her elbow's sudden motion causing the cup of tea to fall from the table.

KRAAACK made the cup as it broke. The sound seemed to make Katsuo's strings snap for good.

Rushing towards a panicked Harumi and letting out a monster-like groan, he seized the most nearby object, which happened to be a knife, and started chasing her sister around the kitchen.

"Gomen, onii-chan! Gomen!" cried Harumi as she ran for her life. Finally, she seized her coat and rushed for the door. After avoiding many knife strokes, she opened the door and escaped outside. Her brother, still in his panties, stopped at the doorstep and waved his weapon at her.

Harumi, realizing she was now safe, stuck out her tongue at him and then ran away.

She put on her coat while still running, and only stopped when the house was out of sight. Her brother could be quite the psychopath during mornings. And since those scenes were quite recurrent at the Yamazaki residence, she was sure her parents didn't hear a thing.

She entered the coffee shop that she and Fuji had been to the day before, and was pissed to see that their table was now occupied. She sat in front of the owner's bar, and ordered a cup of tea in a sulky tone.

"Neh! – said the owner in a loud voice – we can finally see some snow over here, ain't that right?"

It took Harumi a moment to notice that he was talking to her.

"Hai." She answered, completely uninterested.

"So what's a pretty young girl like you doing in a place like this so early in the morning?"

Harumi scolded him, trying to detect any further signs of perversity. He was old. And old and skinny man. Like a wood stick. She didn't feel like talking.

"Just gimme my drink already" she said in a neutral voice.

"Oki, missy, don't get all worked up! It's coming!"

Suddenly, a move outside caught her attention. She was surprised to see Amaya and the twin sisters rushing by.

_Hm…? What's up with them, I wonder?_

"So here a hot tea for you, missy! Huh? Missy?" the old man stared blankly at the vacant seat.

* * *

"Oi, Amaya-chan!" 

The three girls paused and waited for Harumi to catch up. They were at one street intersection, leaning against the wall of a shoe store. Amaya smiled at her and then put a finger on her lips. Naoko grinned broadly and then pointed frantically at her left, beyond the intersection.

Harumi leaned closer and peeked over the crouched Naoki's shoulders.

"Hum? Isn't that Tezu…"

A hand covered her mouth, nearly suffocating her. "Hmmm, MMMM, mmm?"

Naoko's disapproving glare met hers as she signaled once again for her to be quiet. At five meters from their hiding place, Tezuka turned his head slightly, certain that he heard something. Seeing nobody, however, he returned his attention to the pair of the tennis shoes displayed in the shop window.

Naoko chuckled under her breath and spied on him with stars in her eyes. "I love his hair, she muttered, I love his nose, I love his glasses…Bwa!! Tezukaaaa!"

Harumi could only sweatdrop. Naoki gave an indulgent look to her sister. Harumi poked Amaya on the shoulder. "So… don't tell me you have embarked willingly on this stalking business."

Amaya smirked. "I have my own reasons."

Harumi's frown increased. "Such as?"

"More targets coming!" mumbled Naoki, looking at the opposite direction. Two more Seigaku members were approaching. Harumi recognized Kikumaru and Oishi.

"Oh, lucky me! - grinned Amaya – Haru-chan, THAT is my reason!"

Harumi was a little confused. "You are stalking Eiji?"

"No, baka!". Harumi let out her breath, relieved that Amaya couldn't go so low as to stalk someone.

"The other one!" her friend screamed out under her breath, making her assumptions shutter.

Her anxiety came back full power. "Oishi???? You are stalking Oishi? Amaya, you gotta me kidding me, right?"

Amaya put on her philosophical expression. "I don't call that stalking, my dear. Contrarily to Naoko-chan, I'm not trying to hide away or anything!"

Naoko's eyes narrowed. "Yo, Amaya, what's that supposed to mean?"

Eiji and Oishi were talking animatedly about something and haven't noticed the girls yet. Amaya took out a hair brush from no where and brushed quickly her long black hair. Once she finished, she put it away and popped out a little mirror from nowhere as well. Looking into it, she rearranged her bangs.

Naoki giggled. "The Pro of Stalkers!" Amaya didn't hear her, or if she did, didn't mind at all. Putting on her sweetest smile, she walked off. Harumi couldn't believe her eyes. This side of her friend was definitely something she didn't need to know.

From their hiding place, the three of them watched as Amaya approached Eiji and Oishi. They started talking. After a few minutes, she left with Oishi and Eiji continued alone.

"Man… she's good! I wish she could tell me her secret."- sighed Naoko, before reporting her attention on Tezuka.

"Let's go to our usual spot – proposed Naoki – it's too damn cold today, and this place has many blind spots."

Without consulting her sister, she pulled her by the coat and led her away. Harumi could only follow, too shocked to speak.

They entered a little restaurant with a big window giving on the main street. They sat down near a big fake plant and then ordered drinks. From there, they could see almost anything that happened on that portion of the street. They could clearly see Tezuka, now joined by Eiji, who was still debating on which pair of shoes he would buy.

"So, that leaves Eiji." Harumi said.

Her comment was met with utter silence. Feeling a vein pulse on her forehead, and feeling more stupid than ever to be there doing stalking business with the twin sisters, she poked on Naoki's arm and repeated :

"That leaves Eiji. Is he your stalking target?"

Naoki took a sip of water and shook her head with an indulgent smile.

"Nope. Unfortunately for us, he's a no-touch."

"Huuh? What do you mean by…"

The door opened and Chiharu and Aika entered, interrupting Harumi's question. When Aika saw Harumi, her brown eyes instantly hardened.

_Geez, she's is STILL mad at me for that match. No way…_

"Ohayo, Chiharu-chan, Aika-chan!"

Chiharu was, of course, looking as beautiful as ever.

"Ohayo!" they replied. "What are you all doing here?" added Chiharu merrily.

"We are relaxing and taking drinks!" answered Naoki with a big smile!

"Ah I see, but this is not really your usual place!"

"It's not yours either!"

"It feels good to change places from time to time!"

"Indeed, indeed!"

Harumi's eyes turned from one to the other. Something felt really wrong here, really fishy.

Aika and Chiharu sat down at their table and ordered drinks as well. Naoko didn't even bother to feign to drink hers. Tezuka had entered the shop, and was now out again. Kikumaru seemed very excited for some reason, and was waving his arms up and down. Harumi couldn't help but smile while watching his childlike gestures.

From the other side of the street, they saw Echizen approaching. Two streets behind him, the two first year girls that she has seen the other day were crawling from garbage can to garbage can, following him.

_No way!! There are stalkers everywhere…creepy town!!_

Seeming to read her thoughts, Chiharu smiled indulgently. "It is Saturday, after all."

"Err… it is indeed Saturday, but your point is?" Asked Harumi, actually not all that willing to hear the answer.

Chiharu winked. "This is our Saturday hobby! The one and only time when we can catch those Regulars out of their tennis outfits! From this, we can learn their tastes in food, clothes and interests!" The passion in her voice increased by a notch : "It is the most exciting thing ever when you get to learn more about the ones you have loved and admired for so long!"

Harumi let out a nervous laugh. "Chi…Chiharu, please sit down, now?"

"Oh? Ha ha ha, sorry, you got me there!"

Harumi sighed.

When Tezuka started leaving, Naoko stood up and went outside without a word. "Lucky, for her, the chase already begins." Sighed Aika.

"Your turn will come as well, be a little more patient" giggled Naoki.

Harumi sweatdropped for… what? The hundredth time this morning?

_So, they are all here to stalk! They are all first class stalkers! So, what on earth am I doing with these people, huh? Can someone tell me? Did the world go insane when I had my back turned? _

Chiharu clapped her hands excitedly. "Here they come!"

Harumi saw Momoshiro and Kaidoh making their appearance in the picture. _I can't believe that creepy Mamoushi has stalkers as well._

Since she couldn't stand it anymore, she just looked away, and met the look of Inui a table away from theirs. Like the girls, he was watching the stalker scenes outside the window and scrambling furiously on a notebook.

"Hum… Tezuka buying shoes, Oishi going with Amaya, girls stalking guys, this will all make for very good data." He mumbled.

He raised his head and put his glasses back into place with one finger. Harumi looked away at super sonic speed. _And they just keep getting creepier by the second._

Chiharu's voice caught her attention again. "Hyotei's team is coming!"

_Hyotei? Never heard of them before! Oh wait, not true, someone told me before that that was the only team that has beaten Seigaku._

She got interested again. In the lead was a guy with slightly curled blue-grey hair. Chiharu smiled pleasantly. "I shall take my leave, then!"

"Say hi to Atobe for me" – replied Aika without looking at her. Her attention was riveted on Momoshiro, who seemed to be having a fight with Kaidoh over a box of something. Suddenly, a girl wearing a different uniform approached them and waved her hand. Momo stopped the fight and turned to her. Aika tensed.

"That Ann Tachibana…" she growled like she was chewing something acid.

Pushing her chair back violently, she stormed out of the restaurant. Naoki giggled. "It's just you and me now, Haru-chan!"

Harumi yawned. "Well, I'm sorry to leave you like this, but I've got things to do."

Naoki chewed on her straw thoughtfully. "This is strange. He should be here by now."

Harumi couldn't help but to tease her. "Who? Your stalking target?"

"Nope, yours."

"Nani??? Mine? Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't have one."

Naoki looked at her, her blue eyes very calm.

"Stop lying. Of course you do."

"And who might that be?"

"Fuji Syusuke, of course."

Harumi's jaw hung open. Then, she grabbed her ribs and started laughing. It had to be the funniest thing she's ever heard in all her life.

"Me… haha… stalking.. F…F… Fuji?? Hahahahaha…."

Naoki arched an eyebrow and ignored her crisis. "It's strange, though, he's late. Normally he would be here by now."

Her words finally made Harumi serious again.

_I shouldn't be playing like this right now. It's decided. I've got to call him and find out what happened._

"Well, like I said, I have things to do right now. I will be your stalking buddy another time."

Naoki cocked her head to the side and watched her with intensity. Harumi was beginning to feel a little bit uncomfortable when a grin formed on her friend's lips.

"You know where he is, don't you?"

_How… how did she…_

"I have no idea."

She smiled. "Liar. But it's okay, when you find him, say hi to him from me, would you?"

Harumi put on her sulky face. "Geez, Naoki!" Unable to find anything else to throw at her, she just turned away and left. Once she was sure she couldn't be seen from that restaurant where Naoki still watched everything like a hawk, she took out her cellphone and rummaged through her pockets to find Fuji's phone number.

_Not here… not here either… not there… geez, where did that piece of paper go?_

Then she remembered! Last night, after the struggle with herself as to whether or not she should call him, she had forgotten his number beside the phone! She sighed. Home was too far away.

_What do I do now? I feel stupid. Ok, think, Harumi, think. If you don't come up with something soon, you will have to go home to baka onii-chan._

"Oh, I have an idea!!!" she yelled suddenly.

"Hum? And what might that be?" asked a familiar voice.

She turned around, or more precisely, jumped, turned in the air, landed, and almost fell on her butt, if not for the firm support on her forearm.

"Fuji-san???" she exclaimed.

Fuji greeted her, usual smile in place. Harumi was speechless for a moment, and then the questions burst forth : "What are you doing here? Are you alright? How's your sister? She made it, right? Why aren't you at the hospital? Why won't you answer me?

She stopped, out of breath and panted. Fuji nibbled his lower lip, and his expression changed slightly, although Harumi couldn't tell what it was. Then, finally, he couldn't resist anymore and let it all out. Harumi was shocked to hear his laughter. Red with embarrassment, she just stared at him.

"What? Did I say something funny? I'm serious here, Fuji! (she forgot the –san in her anger)"

Fuji couldn't stop laughing.

"Ok, I have a snot on my face, is that it? Geez, here I am worrying about you, and all you do is to laugh at my face?! Didn't your mother teach you any manners?"

Confused and angry, she was about to go away when Fuji grabbed her arm and forced her to stop. Breathing deeply, he put on a more serious look, and finally spoke :

"Saa, I'm alright. And I am sorry. It's just that the way you asked so many questions at once while totally panicking was a very funny thing to see."

Harumi's eyes narrowed while she mumbled something under her breath.

"Also, let's just say that I'm relieved that this whole thing turned out well. The doctors found out what was wrong with my sister and operated on her last night. She is resting now, but she should be fine. You are the first one to learn the news."

Harumi didn't know if she should feel flattered or not by this assessment. In any case, she decided to be angry later. She was so relieved and delighted that Fuji's sister would be alright, that she just had to get rid of her furious look. She let out a deep sigh but then still turned an accusing stare at him.

"Well, you could have told me that right away without the laughing scene!"

"You didn't give me the time to speak, with all your questions."

Harumi crossed her arms. "Tss.."

At that moment they heard a deep HUMP and saw a bunch of people on the floor near the garbage can. Harumi's expression of surprise soon became that of frustration.

"Eiji, Oishi, Amaya, Naoki, Naoko, Momoshiro, Kaidoh, Ann, Aika, Echizen, Taka-san and miss first year one and two!!! GIVE ME A GOOD REASON FOR YOUR PRESENCE BEHIND THAT GARBAGE CAN!"

When she stopped screaming, Fuji carefully took his fingers out of his ears. Naoki ignored her completely and finally got off Momo's back. Turning to the other stalkers, she smirked. "See? I told you!"

Echizen stood up and rearranged his cap with dignity. Oishi helped Amaya and the others to get on their feet as well.

"Well, I did expect more than a simple grab on the arm, but that's just me." Momo shrugged his shoulders.

"From what you said, we thought it was something big. Neh, ochibi?"

Echizen mumbled : "I didn't want to come in the first place."

Amaya was sulking : "That's because we didn't give them enough time alone. If you hadn't pushed me when you heard about Fuji's sister, Oishi, we wouldn't have fallen."

"Go…gomen, Amaya-chan! I was just worried, that's all."

"Speaking of that, why you didn't tell us about your sister, Fuji? Even Mamoushi snapped a string when he heard she was operated on."

"Fshhhhh, shut up already."

Since the beginning of the exchange, a vein has been pulsing dangerously on Harumi's forehead. And now she finally exploded.

"HELLO??? THANKS FOR ACKNOWLEDING MY PRESENCE AND THE FACT THAT I HAVE SPOKEN!"

Naoki passed a soothing arm over her shoulder.

"It's alright, Haru-chan, you will get used to it."

"I don't wanna get used to it! It's so lame! For God's sake!"

"Why are you so mad at anyway? – Amaya joined in cheerfully – Fuji-san is taking it the good way!"

Harumi bit her lip and turned to where Fuji was supposed to be standing, but he had disappeared. She soon saw him in the middle of the circle formed by all his friends, asking him about his sister. Harumi raised a fist to face level, then let out a cry of frustration before walking off.

Before she could make more than ten steps, someone hugged her fiercely from behind. Not in the mood for affection, she was ready to slap whoever it was when she heard Eiji's characteristic "hoi" and "nya".

"Eiji, I'm not in the mood…" she started, but then sighed when she saw his puppy-like eyes blinking in confusion.

Discreetly pushing back Eiji's hands from her shoulders, she tried to smile her best smile.

"Alright, tell me what you want."

Eiji rocked back and forth and declared excitedly : "Just don't go home yet, Haru-chan! We have to go to Fuji's place soon, remember?"

"Fuji's place? You mean for the essay? I am pretty sure it will be canceled, with what has happened to his sister and all."

"Nya, not really. I just talked to him and he confirmed it."

Harumi scratched her head. "Really? If you say so, then…"

Eiji pointed a diplomatic finger towards the sky. "I couldn't possibly let him get away without keeping his promise! This essay is deadlier than Inui's juice. Without Fuji, I will be done for, nya!"

Harumi arched an eyebrow. She didn't really like Eiji's carefree attitude at that moment, but since he obviously wasn't there the day before when Fuji almost fell to pieces, she couldn't really blame him. Fuji chose that moment to come towards them. Harumi looked at him up and down. "Ok, if you can handle helping two bakas for the day, I will respect you forever."

"Who are you calling a baka!" mused Eiji.

Fuji cocked his head and smiled a little. "I think it's going to be fine. You are just like Oishi, you worry too much."

Harumi chose to ignore that. "Well, I don't even have my stuff with me. When I got out this morning, I didn't expect to bump into you like that."

"It's okay, Haru-chan, I have my notes with me." Eiji said.

"Really? Sugoi!" This time it was her who hugged him.

"Shall we go now?" Fuji asked.

"Lead the way!"

Inui was frenetically taking notes. Harumi turned towards the rest of the team. "Don't even THINK about following us, understood?"

"Haaaaai!" they all replied with a smirk.

Harumi gave up. What else could she do?

* * *

And there goes another one!! Sometimes I even amaze myself for how quick I can write, hehe. 

I had fun trying to pair people up in this chapter. If you have other ideas or suggestions, please do tell me. The hints for future pairings in this chapter are far from being decided for sure.

Well, I guess that is all for this time!! I hope you enjoyed it, and also, please do tell me as well what could be improved, since I know my writing skills are far from being perfect!! Arigatou! And see you next time!


	5. The girl, the Monkey and the photographe

**Authors note: **First of all, THANK YOU to all those who reviewed! You really made my day! I'm so freaking happy that people are reading this fic and enjoying it!! Of course, all thanks to you, this chapter came by sooner than expected, hehe. You are all the best readers in the world! Keep up with the good work, everyone:p

**The girl, the Monkey and the photographer**

"Neh, Eiji, I can call you Eiji, right?"

"Um, but you are already doing it!"

"Oh! It's true! Well, it's fine, isn't it?"

"I don't mind. But only if I can call you Harumi, that is!"

"Sure!"

They were walking on the sidewalk at a steady pace to keep their bodies warm from the cold wind. The sun has now gotten out of the clouds, and the thin layer of snow on the ground was beginning to melt. Fuji was leading the way to his house, and the two others were following him the best they could.

Even though it was slippery, Fuji seemed to move graciously without any difficulty. Harumi envied him for that. To pass the time, she just talked with Eiji. She didn't know why she talked with him instead of Fuji, but every time she was near him, she felt weird, as if something somewhere inside of her was getting numb. She didn't understand that feeling, so she tried to avoid it.

Eiji was half walking, half running, trying to keep himself from freezing.

Harumi was concentrating on not falling on her butt.

"I'm looking forward to the winter break!" Eiji suddenly said.

"You know how to ski?" asked Harumi.

"Not really, nya! But it sounds fun!"

"Everything sounds fun to you anyway."

Eiji scratched his head for a moment, as if thinking about that statement, then he grinned. "Yup!"

"We are here!" said Fuji.

Harumi looked up and saw a pretty house composed of two storeys. There was a lawn in front of the main door, which was, at this time of year, covered by the snow. A small parking lot was just beside it, and a car was parked in it.

"That is my sister's car, Fuji explained."

"I hope she will recover soon!" said Harumi.

"Yes, I hope it too. I will probably go and visit her again tomorrow." He went to the door, inserted the key in the lock, and then pushed it open.

"Yuuta? I'm home!" he called gently.

The house was silent. Fuji turned to his guests, smiling, (but after all, when wasn't he smiling?)

"Please come in! Yuuta is out, so I guess we have the house for ourselves this time."

Eiji squeezed inside and stuck himself to the nearest heating system. Harumi wandered around, looking everywhere. The house seemed to be of the same size as hers, but it was definitely cleaner. When you entered the Yamazaki residence, you could see socks, t-shirts and books lying almost everywhere, from the kitchen to the living room to the bathroom. The bathroom, especially, looked like a storage house for magazines.

And her own bedroom… well, let's not talk about that!

"Let's go upstairs!" said Fuji.

Eiji and Harumi followed him. _I can't believe this is IT. I am in Fuji's house! Yataaa!_

"Fujiko, I will use your bathroom first!" smiled Eiji while running off.

"He's enthusiastic even when he goes to the bathroom…" sighed Harumi.

Then her eye caught something. _Hmmm? _She pushed open the door to her left and her jaw hung open. It was a whole room filled with pictures. They were everywhere, on the walls, leaning against wooden supports, and even some hung from the ceiling.

Fuji smiled and turn on the light to let her see better. Many pictures were about nature only. A river, a flower, a little kitten. Some were about landscapes, but the majority of them were about people.

"Photography is one of my other passions, along with tennis." Fuji said, in answer to Harumi's bewildered expression.

"Amazing! That is so kawaii!!"

She walked from one picture to another, enjoying the sight of the little moments in life that Fuji had captured up until now.

One of the pictures was of the whole Fuji family.

"Neh, Fuji-san, so this is your sister? She's so beautiful! And this is your brother, Yuuta? Haha, he looks like he's sulking on that one."

"Yuuta is _always_ sulking on the pictures." Fuji was walking right behind her, a quite amused smile on his lips.

Harumi saw another one that caught her attention. It was the whole Seigaku team. She took her time to watch them carefully. The enigmatic and creepy Inui, the grinning Momoshiro, the antisocial Kaidoh, the proud Echizen, the hyper Eiji, the calm Oishi, the stern Tezuka and of course, the SMILING Fuji.

"Harumi-chan?"

"Hmm?"

_Actually, he's quite cute on that picture! I wonder if I could steal it without him noticing? _

"Harumi-chan?"

She turned around.

FLASH!

"Ehh… ehh… nani? Did you just take a picture of me, Fuji-san?"

Fuji was smiling his knowing smile behind that camera.

FLASH!

"Eh, stop it, Fuji-san! I'm not photoge…"

FLASH!

She sweatdropped. "Do you intend to go on like this for long, dammit?"

"I think three will be enough. They caught all your expressions."

_Huh? Did he just imply that I only have three facial expressions?? It's unforgivable! Fuji, you are such a jerk!_

"Saa, what's wrong, Harumi-chan?"

She was about to tell him everything that was on her mind when Eiji irrupted into the room.

"You are both here, nya! Oh, this is Fujiko's room of memories, isn't it? Look! That's me there!"

Harumi scolded Fuji's back. _Well, this time he was saved by Eiji._ She took a look at Eiji's picture. He looked a lot younger in there. And his band-aid was on his nose instead of his cheek. But those dark blue eyes were as playful as ever. She wondered if she should steal that one as well.

* * *

"So, do you get the drill?" Fuji asked.

"Ano… nope!"

He sighed. He had spent the last half hour trying to explain the concept of making the structure of an essay.

"Saa, it's not that hard! To put it simply, you just need to write down your points and a simple sentence describing them. For this specific essay, you will need three paragraphs, therefore three main points."

Harumi blinked twice. "Okay…"

Fuji's light finger tapped on different parts of his own plan to emphasize what he was saying. Harumi's eyes closed a little, then popped open again.

"Why didn't you say so earlier? What's this whole fuss about a theory statement?"

"A thesis statement." He corrected.

Harumi blinked again. He sighed. "Basically that's what a plan looks like." He gave her the one he made for himself.

She took it. "Hmm, 'kay…"

Fuji then turned towards the redhead. "Are you listening too, Eiji?"

"It's snowing again, nya! And it's getting dark already!"

Fuji put on his hopeless face, (i.e. sad eyebrows combined with smiling eyes, you know that look).

"Alright, then I will go and start typing mine on the computer. In the meantime, you two better think about your ideas."

The brunette then left the study room.

Harumi sighed and looked at her blank page. She tried to scribble something down, but it was of no use. She had no inspiration whatsoever. Besides, she thought that the essay topic was of the utmost stupidity. _Who cares about the guy's evolution throughout the story? I don't care about what a nonexistent, made-of-ink-and-paper character thinks! This is crazy._ When she looked down at her sheet of paper, she noticed that she already wrote three times the words "fuck this essay" in big capital letters. Sighing, she tore it into pieced and threw the whole mess in the garbage.

She got up and wandered silently downstairs to the living room after passing silently behind Fuji. There, she saw something quite interesting which made her run all the way upstairs again.

Eiji was dozing off when a hand messed up his already not very ordered hair, and woke him up.

"Neh, Eiji, wanna play some video games?"

"Hoi? Sure!"

Harumi's teasing eyes met his. "But… be quiet! Let's not disturb mister-I'm-a-genius-in-English."

Eiji grinned widely and nodded. They both headed for the living room, putting a foot in front of the other and making big silent steps. They crawled behind the sofa, which was in front of the computer that Fuji was using, and then silently glided downstairs.

The highlight of the escape was when Eiji's foot got stuck in the carpet that was covering the stairs, which caused him to crush into Harumi.

Fortunately for them, she was on the last step, and so they didn't fall down for long. Entangled at the foot of the stairs, they froze and waited. No signs of Fuji. They sighed.

Harumi hissed under her breath. "Eiji, you baka, you are sitting on my hair!"

"Gomen, gomen!" he got up and put on his most adorably apologetic face, then helped her on her feet.

They crawled like thieves in front of the TV. Eiji struggled to branch the play station to it, while Harumi searched through the different video games lying there on a shelf.

"How about Super Mario?"

"Nah, I passed all the levels when I was 9."

"Ok, here is another one. Ano… seems like it's a new one."

Eiji got closer and looked at it above her shoulders. "The National Treasure? Never heard of it. But let's try it out!"

They sat against a large sofa and then Eiji turned on the TV. The images were starting to appear, when she suddenly gripped his arm harder than what she intended to. _Double crap, we forgot to turn off the sound!! _However, her fears resulted to be for nothing, as the introduction images passed by and the house remained silent.

"Miu, that hurt! Why did you do that for?" he complained.

"Go… gomen! I thought..."

He seemed to read her thoughts and winked. "Of course I turned it off!"

"Of course you did!"

"To make it up to me, he continued, you will let me play first, hihi!"

"Nani? No way!"

But it was too late for her. Eiji took the only play station and pressed enter.

**Select your level : Beginner, Intermediate, Pro.**

"Hm, I'm a Pro, of course!" he grinned.

**Select your player.**

Eiji chose one with the name of the Monkey. He was a little guy with big brown eyes and spiky blue hair.

"How fitting." She teased him.

The game started then. Harumi quickly got submerged into the action of the game. As it became more and more tough to get through the different traps, and therefore the different levels, they both became more and more excited.

"That's right Eiji! Go get him! Now!"

Eiji pressed furiously on the buttons.

"Careful! Behind you, eee!"

Too late. Eiji's player got killed by a huge bazooka. "Ok, don't panic, I still have five lives left."

He started over from where he had died, avoided the bazooka and went to level 6.

Level 7 was in the ocean. Harumi bit her nails as the Monkey swam through the different tunnels under the water, occasionally finding a cave to replenish his stock of oxygen. When the end of the level was near, a giant pulp popped out of nowhere and started sending acid attacks to the swimmer.

"Right! Left! Left again! C'mon Eiji! You are gonna die again!!"

Without realizing it, she was pulling him by the hair. Eiji gritted his teeth, but was too busy with the pulp to deal with the crazy girl above him. Finally, she lost her patience.

"Gimme that!" she snatched the play station out of his hands and started playing.

"Hey! Not fair, nya! Give it back! Give it… CAREFUL!"

She made the Monkey avoid being crushed by one of the pulp's legs.

"Crap, his oxygen level is decreasing. I need to get out!"

She used the Monkey's ultimate attack and blew the pulp to pieces. Then she started the long swim towards the top of the ocean.

"You won't make it! Gotta go faster!" It was Eiji's turn to pull on her hair.

Harumi avoided the rocks falling, collected the golden cups to give her more points, avoided sharks and other deadlier sea monsters, all the while propelling the Monkey even higher. "There is no end to this! For Chrissake, what's up with these freaking tunnels?"

When the stock of oxygen was emitting a distressing red signal, the Monkey finally burst out on the surface.

**Level 8.**

"Yes!!" Harumi and Eiji exclaimed.

They both let themselves go against the sofa. "That was a good game!"

"Yeah."

Harumi was staring at the ceiling. "Miu, my eyes are burning." She heard Eiji say.

She got up and then smiled at him. "Let's see if there's anything cold to drink around here." She went to the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge, then came back with two cans of soda.

Eiji thanked her and put the can on his forehead.

Harumi slowly drank hers. Her throat was burning from all the yelling.

_Yelling. _

She lifted her head towards the stairs. "Crap, our shrieks would have awakened the devil! I wonder why Fuji hasn't popped up yet?"

Eiji got up on one elbow. "You are right…" he cocked his head a little bit to the side, confused. "Let's go up and check on him."

They were at the foot of the stairs when Eiji put a hand on her arm.

"What?" she asked.

Eiji was curving his mouth in an embarrassed way. She read his thoughts as if they were an open book, and sighed.

"Look here Eiji, I know you feel guilty for using his play station and drinking his soda without him knowing it, but it's a little bit too late now."

Eiji suddenly grinned. "Then we just don't need to tell him!"

"Well, that depends. Maybe he already knows. But in any case, it's no use standing here now. Let's go back."

Eiji agreed silently. They took even more precautions than when they came downstairs. When they entered the study room, they quickly crawled behind the sofa again. Here, they waited for their heartbeats to slow down a little.

"Why do I feel like a criminal?" Eiji mouthed silently.

Harumi hit him gently on the head, telling him to calm down. Then, she quietly peeked over the sofa, in the direction of the computer. And Fuji. He was still there. Eiji's head popped up beside hers.

Fuji's back was lowered, and he was in a quite weird position. Harumi got on her knees to get a better view. What she saw left her speechless.

"Dammit, he's asleep!" she whispered, not quite believing it.

"What? In the middle of homework? You gotta be kidding me, nya!"

"See for yourself!"

She stood up and walked silently to where Fuji was. His arms were crossed in front of him, on the table beside the keyboard, and his head was lying on them. His longer bangs were hiding his eyes from her, but his breathing was regular and soft. A tender look crossed Harumi's eyes.

_He mustn't have gotten too much sleep this past two days! No wonder he's all worn out._

Like an afterthought :

_He's so cute when he's asleep. I feel like holding him... ok, no, I did not just think that.  
_

She blushed. Eiji's hand on her shoulder startled her, and she directed an accusing glare towards him. Putting a finger across her lips, she signaled for him to let him sleep. Eiji blinked twice, then he got close to Harumi's ears and whispered : "Maybe he's just pretending."

"Why would he do that?" she whispered back.

"I don't know, but that would totally be just like him."

"Better make sure then."

Eiji nodded solemnly. After looking each other in the eye for one last time, they slowly, quietly, began to crouch. When they were lower than Fuji's face, they could clearly see his eyes. They were closed.

_But after all, they are ALWAYS closed._

They consulted each other, and the same thought occurred to them. If he was sleeping, they could just go downstairs and keep playing video games and drinking up his soda to their hearts' content. They smirked, and looked at him one more time, just to be safe, but...

... stared directly into his widely opened eyes. Eiji and Harumi sweatdropped and lost all their colors at once.

"Boo!" Fuji said.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!!" Eiji and Harumi both screamed at the top of their lungs and then ran away from him at super sonic speed.

* * *

Fuji found them in his parents' closet. When he opened the door, Eiji and Harumi both backed off to the corner.

Fuji put on a surprised look.

"What are you doing here? I found some cookies that mom made yesterday. Come with me. They are in the kitchen, but I guess you are now familiar with the place. I saw some empty soda cans…"

"It was his idea!"

"It was her idea!" Eiji and Harumi exclaimed at the same time while pointing at each other. They were both sweating abundantly (in anime mode).

Fuji cocked his head to the side a little. "My, am I that scary?"

"YES, NO, I MEAN, MAYBE!" they both cried out at once.

Fuji sighed. Harumi was the first one to shake it off. "Alright, alright, play time over."

She got out of the closet with dignity. "You scared us badly while pretending to be asleep, that's all!"

"Saa, I wasn't pretending!"

"But you were trying to trick us with that closed eyed stance of yours!" she said accusingly.

Fuji didn't say anything. Eiji passed an arm over his friend's shoulders. "It's alright, it's alright! Now, to make it up to us, you will just help us with our English essay!" he said with a big grin.

"Demo…"

"No demos!"

"Yeah, right!"

Smiling, the two friends pushed a resigned Fuji back into the study room and set him in front of their blank sheets.

"Make yourself comfortable!" smiled Eiji.

"We are right by your side!" mused Harumi.

* * *

The night was falling when the three of them finally finished writing.

"I am officially dead." Harumi moaned weakly. "My wrist feels like spaghetti."

Eiji had a thrilled look on, however. "Yataa! Yataa!! I'm done! Nya!"

After doing some acrobatic moves, he hung on to Fuji's shoulders. "All thanks to you, Fujiko!"

"Yeah, we wouldn't have done it without you!" added Harumi with a grateful smile.

At that moment, a cat started mewing. At first, they didn't catch it, but then, Eiji and Fuji started looking around.

"Hoi? Is that a cat I'm hearing?"

"Yes, it does seem like a cat! How did it come in here?" Fuji asked, confused.

"It seems like it's coming from behind Harumi." Eiji pointed out.

Harumi blushed. "Back off, you two! It's my cell phone!"

Eiji and Fuji fell on her heads.

Eiji opened his mouth to say something or to laugh, Harumi never found out, because a glare from her purple eyes shut him up. She took out her cell and opened it.

"Mushi mushi? Ah, oniichan, it's you!" She made a disgusted face. "What do YOU want?

What?

No way! It's already 9 o clock? – She confirmed on Fuji's clock.

Well…

Ok, I got it. Tell mom not to worry.

What do you care where I am?

Well, I'm still not telling you. My private life is my own business, got it?

No, I haven't had dinner yet. I hope you didn't eat everything by yourself.

Tsss, in that case you will just have to cook something else for ME!

Shut up, already, you baka! I will see you at home! Yeah… yeah… alright. Bye."

She hung up. "Annoying guy!"

Fuji and Eiji were laughing. "It is indeed late, nya! We will be going then, Fujiko!"

"Alright!"

They went downstairs and put on their coats.

"Thanks again, Fuji-san!" Harumi said. Eiji opened the door and shivered when he felt the cold wind. It was snowing again a little.

"Oh, I forgot my essay upstairs, I will be right back!" Harumi said while hitting her palm against her forehead.

She ran back to the study room, took the pile of papers, and then hurried to the door. By the time she arrived, Eiji was already outside.

"Well, I will be going then, Fuji-san! Thanks for the soda and the video game!" she winked teasingly.

Fuji smiled. "I'm happy you had a good time!"

"When you see your sister, tell her to get well soon!"

"I will."

Harumi stepped outside.

"Harumi-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"I realize I haven't thanked you properly yet… for that day."

She froze. Without turning back, she said. "It was nothing! I'm glad I could help!"

She turned towards him slowly, and saw that his eyes were open. She felt that numb feeling inside of her again, and waved her hand awkwardly at him before crossing the lawn to where Eiji was waiting for her.

She looked back and saw Fuji standing there at the doorstep, framed by the warm yellow light coming from his house. Even though the night was chilly, Harumi felt both her cheeks burning like bonfires during a hot summer night.


	6. Plan A

**Author's note :** Eeeeeee!! I'm so happy! A lot of people are starting to take interest in this fic! Sugoi! Sugoi! Thank you so much!! I know I've said this before, but I repeat it : This fic exists all because of you guys! Everytime I see a new review, it motivates me to write more!

Now, some short replies to your reviews:

**Crazy Bubbling Blonde :** Yeah, I had so much fun writing the closet scene, hihi! Fuji can be such a psycho sometimes (all the time?), but that's what makes him so irresistible! At least for me!

**Luvracci :** thank you for your second review, LOL. a lot of romantic scenes are coming up next. I'm making the ambiance more relaxed and fun for now, but according to my Inui calculations, it's gonna get romantic, then dramatic towards the end! I'm looking forward to writing that part!

**TheFirstTime :** thank you so much! yeah, the title took me a while to find, though. But i like it too! Actually, you will understand better what it means a couple of chapters later! thanks for reading!!

And just to bother you with useless words before the actual story, i finally got to see the harry potter movie! well, gotta say, the storyline is better than the others! for once, it looks like the producer put more focus on something else besides special effects! anyway, for those who havent seen it, i wont post any spoilers, but i will just say that i had fun watching it!!

that's all for now! take care everyone! Ja!

**Plan A**

The last school week before winter break was particularly uneventful. Classes were dragging on forever, and everyone was definitely looking forward to a break from calculations, essays and experiments. Harumi also went hoarse trying to practice her singing for her final music class assignment. Despite all her hard work, depression crisis and sleepless nights with only hot tea and throat pills for company, she still got a B minus for the song she had to sing in front of the WHOLE class, during a COLD afternoon of January.

As if things weren't already bad enough, she had to bump into Mai buchou on Wednesday afternoon, who told her that tennis practices were being resumed inside the gym. She also made clear that EVERYONE in the female tennis club had to attend that day's first practice session.

If Harumi hadn't lost her voice already, she would have yelled until she did.

Also, since that Saturday at Fuji's house, she hasn't been able to see him very often, for he was busy with his own study program and tennis routine. The only time she saw him was during today's English class when everyone handed in their essays. Harumi was late once again because she only noticed she had left hers at home when she already arrived at her locker.

She made the trip to her house and then back again within a new time record of 14.3 minutes. She had banged into the classroom, hair untied and coat still on, and panting like an asthmatic person. During class, she had thrown discreet looks at Fuji sitting beside her, but he didn't look at her, not even once. Harumi even felt as if he didn't know her at all. She even questioned the reality of her stay at his house, thinking it was all a good dream and nothing more!

Fortunately for her, and her sanity, Eiji was as inviting as ever, and since he didn't show any signs of surprise when she called him "Eiji", she knew that everything that had happened last Saturday was real. _Then Fuji is the jerk here, ignoring me like that!_

Of course, she never thought of the possibility that Fuji was simply sleeping in class, since no one could tell anyway. And also, since that fake sleeping incident at his house, Eiji and her were now being extra careful while dealing with Fuji.

During lunch time on Friday, the official last day of classes, Harumi was sitting in the caf with all the girls from the tennis team. They were making plans for the upcoming event at Amaya's cottage in the mountains, since they, of course, were invited as well, along with the male tennis team.

"So, how are we going there? Where will we meet?" asked the ever practical Naoki.

"My parents rented a bus to take us there." Amaya reassured her.

Since Harumi was saving her voice, she scribbled something down and handed it to Amaya : _But… is it alright for you to do all that? The whole trip must be very expensive!_ was what was written on the paper.

The others looked at each other and then looked at her again.

"So, Amaya still hasn't told you?" sighed Aika with a smirk.

_Told me what?_

Amaya was looking quite uneasy.

"Go ahead, Amaya!" winked Chiharu "You don't need to feel embarrassed about this."

"Well – the black haired girl started – you see, my parents... they are… we have… a lot of money, so we can practically afford anything."

Harumi was surprised a moment, then she smiled. She tried to say something, but only a growl came out of her mouth. Frustrated, she took the pen and wrote : _Okay, a lot of things make sense now! You didn't need to hide that from me, Amaya! I couldn't have told if you haven't told me! I mean, some people act all snob because of it, but you never show off!_

Amaya looked at her friend, and then smiled hesitantly. "I… guess you are right!"

"Oh, look! The guys are coming!" said Naoko, twisting her neck like crazy to see if Tezuka was with them.

He was. And Mai was with them also, looking as severe as ever.

"Time for plan A" Naoko whispered with a grin.

Harumi almost choked on her food. If something perverted was about to start again, like the other day, she wanted to get out. "Plan A?" she asked herself desperately.

Amaya's reassuring hand found its way to her shoulder. "Just get up!" she ordered.

The other girls have already gotten on their feet and blocked the way to the Seigaku Regulars. Chiharu waved her hand at them in case they could "miss" the six giggling girls standing before them.

When they saw Mai, they all bowed deeply in front of her. Harumi was forced down as well by Amaya's unforgiving hand. "Ohayo, Mai buchou!"

Mai stopped in front of her team, eyebrows raised. "What does this mean?"

"We wanted to thank you for all the tennis advice you gave us this semester. Since this is the last day, we thought we would invite you to lunch. It will be our treat, of course!" said Naoki in a sweet voice.

Then, she lifted her head as if she had just seen the guys standing behind Mai Buchou. "Oh, and since you guys are here as well, why don't you join us?"

"There is plenty of space at this table." Added Amaya.

"No, thank you!" Echizen said. "I have things to do."

He turned his back to them and left. Kaidoh left also in his tracks, after letting out his usual "Fssshhhh!". Naoki was worried an instant that the others would follow their example, but of course, she forgot that Momoshiro was with them.

"Neeeehhh? Free food, you say? I can't miss that, I just can't!" he exclaimed in a loud voice before pushing aside his comrades and being the first to sit down at their table. Harumi noticed that the glasses guy, Inui, was still taking notes. _I wonder what he's scribbling about. No, I take that back, I don't want to know!_

Eiji was the next to come forward. "Hoi? I'm so hungry! I want to eat something too! Come on, Oishi!"

"Uh, wait up, Eiji…"

Before he could utter another word, Amaya popped up in front of him. "I ordered your favorite pie. It would be a shame, really…"

When Oishi saw her, he instantly blushed.

"A… Amaya-chan! That's nice of you!"

Amaya smiled and pushed him towards their table. With three members joining the girls, the others just followed through. With all those people wandering around in a confined place, however, there was a big mess before everyone got to sit down.

When her butt touched the chair again, Harumi sighed. She looked around and saw something that made her sweatdrop. Apparently, the girls' famous Plan A worked out perfectly, for they all ended up sitting beside the guy they liked. Well, for those who had a guy they liked, anyway.

_During the commotion, they must have arranged all this._

In front of her, on the other side of the table, from the window to the aisle, the people were seated in the following order : Momo, Aika, Oishi, Amaya, Chiharu, Eiji and Mai.

On her side of the table : Taka-san, Naoko, Tezuka, herself, FUJI (she sweatdropped again when noticing his presence beside her), Naoki and Inui.

She could feel her friends' excitement all around her. Amaya was talking quietly to Oishi, a hand on his forearm, and the poor guy could only blush and nod, blush and nod. Chiharu was following their conversation, an amused and tender expression on her face.

Naoko was, as usual, her shy self. During the first 5 minutes, she barely dared to breathe. Tezuka was looking as stern as usual, drinking his cup of tea. During the 5 next minutes, Naoko pulled it together and pushed the menu shyly towards him.

"Ano… ano… Tezuka-san? Would you like to eat something?"

Tezuka nodded silently and took it. Naoko gulped.

"Ano… it will be my treat…"

Tezuka looked at her and Naoko almost crawled under the table. "Please don't do that. It will be fine." He said in his deep, captain-like voice. Naoko fainted while still sitting straight.

Aika was more direct. When Momo was about to attack his ramen, she took the chopsticks right out of his hands and said, her brown eyes flashing.

"What are you up to with Ann Tachibana?"

"Ehh! Give that back! I'm hungry!"

"Answer my question first!" she growled.

Momo backed off. "Ehh? Ann? We barely know each other."

She pulled him by the ear, ignoring his "Ite, ite, that hurts!" and said: "You better not lie to me!"

Then she gave him back his chopsticks. Momo was mad at her now. "What's your problem? I will do what I want, I will just do it!"

Aika's frown disappeared, and she smiled sweetly at him. Caught off guard, the poor Momo could only sweatdrop. "My, Aika commented, your ramen is getting cold! Please eat it while it's still warm!"

_Strange girl… creepy… _Momo thought.

Inui's pencil was dancing on the sheet of paper.

Eiji was eating his lunch with a smile on his face, occasionally letting out a "hoi" and a "nya". Mai was sitting there, sipping her tea, looking like she wanted to be anywhere but there. Taka-san was shyly sipping his orange juice, since no racket was nearby.

Naoki was looking at the whole scene like a mother would watch her children play.

Harumi finally turned towards Fuji. She scratched her head, wanting to just GET AWAY from there.

_This is so weird! It's such a lame set up_!

For the first time, Harumi felt lucky that she couldn't speak, since she had no idea what she could talk about with Fuji.

"Harumi-chan?" resounded suddenly Fuji's kind voice at her ears.

Harumi looked up towards him with a certain degree of dread.

"You are not eating?"

Harumi opened her mouth, then closed it again. She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. She saw then that Fuji had a concerned face on, which made her sweatdrop a little. She pointed at her throat and shook her head. Fuji's eyes opened briefly. "Saa, I see. It is your voice, isn't it? What happened?"

Harumi stole Eiji's water bottle, ignoring his "hey!" and brandished it in front of her mouth like a microphone. Then she started mimicking the act of singing. Fuji placed his thumb and forefinger under his chin in a thoughtful manner. "Music class? It couldn't have been this bad, could it? "

Harumi nodded furiously. _Heck yeah, for people born without certain vocal cords related to singing!_

"Well, maybe this could help?" Fuji said, taking out a little bottle from his school bag.

Harumi took it and saw that it contained mint pills. Her lips formed a big grin and she nodded fiercely until she thought her head would come off. When she was about to open it, her ears were assaulted with a big loud: "MOMO, YOU BAKA!!!", followed by someone crashing into her back, pushing her strongly forward.

_Aouch, that hurt! What the hell is going on?_

Ba-boum…ba-boum…ba-boum…

_What's that noise? Oh crap, it's my heartbeat, and it's fast. What the hell? Am I having a heart attack? _

Then she felt her face being buried in something soft and warm.

Tissue.

Body.

_Now wait just a second… it's not MY heartbeat!_

She looked up and realized she was lying against Fuji's chest. No, WORSE! She was IN his arms. She could FEEL his hands on her back. The numb sensation crawled all over her body, and she found herself unable to move. She wanted to pull herself away from him, but she couldn't. The world seemed to have stopped turning, time stopped flowing.

Ba-boum… ba-boum…ba-boum…

Even her thoughts, her most loyal friend since the day she was born, were gone. Her mind was completely, utterly blank.

Then the warm place where her face was buried disappeared. She wanted to sigh in relief and scream in frustration all at the same time. The numb feeling subsided. Her thoughts came back.

_How on earth did I end up THERE?_

Her eyes could see again; her ears could hear again. She lifted her head and crossed Fuji's open eyes. His hands were still on her shoulders. She pulled herself away from him as if his hands could burn her.

"Are you alright, Harumi-chan?" he asked.

Harumi didn't even hear the question. She pointed an accusing finger at his face and shouted in a hoarse voice: "What were you doing, Fuji? You pervert!" The first words she uttered since music class.

"But I wasn't doing anything, Harumi-chan."

Harumi scanned his face, but he looked sincere, like he didn't have any idea what she was mad at. _Good grief, Fuji! Ok, maybe I overdid it a little bit. But it's his fault too! What was he DOING, putting his hands all over me like that? What do I do? What do I do…_

"Oh." She mumbled. "I'm… I'm… sorry." She continued in an almost inaudible voice.

Harumi turned her back to him, eager to get away from his gaze and ready to contradict anyone else who would assume that what had happened was more than a simple accident. However, merely seconds have passed since someone pushed her from behind, and it was complete chaos all around her, with no one even noticing her presence.

Everyone was talking all at once, and somehow, a waiter was standing there like a stick, a shattered plateau at his feet. Harumi poked furiously on Naoki's arm, making her turn around.

"What's going on?" she asked, her voice more hoarse than ever.

Naoki had a smirk plastered on her face, as she seemed to be enjoying the whole mess.

"It all happened all at once! – she explained in a conspirational tone – the waiter came to bring us more drinks, when apparently Momo said something to make Aika really mad. Aika screamed that Momo was a baka in a really shrill voice – geez, my ears are still hurting – and she scared the waiter so badly that he dropped his plateau with all the drinks. One glass fell on Inui's notebook, knocking it out of his hands and making it fall in the juice on the floor. Inui screamed and bent over to take it back. And while doing that, he pushed me with his butt – that dirty pervert! – I was in the middle of standing up when that happened, and his push made me lose my balance, which is why I crashed into you – gomen, gomen! – well, basically that's what happened."

Harumi crossed her arms with an unforgiving look on her face.

"Yeah, but do you have ANY idea what just happened?"

Something in her tone made Naoki really curious.

"No, but why don't you tell me?"

"Ksss… It's nothing! Just be more careful next time, alright?"

Naoki got closer. "Come on! I'm curious now. What just happened?"

Harumi sweatdropped. Tezuka's commanding voice chose that moment to rise above the chaos.

"Silence!"

Harumi relaxed. _Thank you Tezuka-san! I owe you one!_

The Seigaku buchou turned towards the trembling waiter. "I am very sorry for what just happened. Please accept my help." He said while crouching down to clean up the mess.

The waiter snapped out of it. "No, no, you don't need to do that, sir!. It will be fine, really!" He hurried up and picked up the shattered glasses and plateau. Other waiters came to help him out.

_What a mess!!!_ Thought Harumi – _I wonder if we will really be alright all by ourselves at that isolated cottage in the mountains, if we can't even have a normal lunch in the school cafeteria! These guys need to grow up, seriously_!

* * *

"Don't you think you have enough stuff with you, Haru?" asked Katsuo while leaning against the door of her bedroom. 

Harumi was frantically throwing stuff in a big blue travel bag. She ignored him.

"It's not as if you are going out of Japan or anything!"

"Shut up, oniichan, will ya?"

Katsuo came closer. "Why do you need like 50 underwears?" Harumi got all red in the face and punched his brother on the head. "Get a life of your own, Katsuo!"

Finally, she zipped her bag and grinned. "All done! See? It wasn't that bad!"

However, when she tried to lift it, it didn't even move. A vein pulsing on her forehead, she gritted her teeth and tried with both hands. "What's…going…on?? It can't be… that… heavy!" she said between each pull.

Katsuo bent down and did something. "It was stuck beneath the bed, you should stop…"

Before he could finish, Harumi pulled it again, and because she overdid it, the bag flew into the air. She lost her balance and fell on her butt. The bag twisted in mid-air, then fell on her head, knocking her KO.

"… pulling." Katsuo finished with a sigh.

* * *

"Gomen! Gomen! I'm late!" Harumi yelled while running towards the bus that was stationed in front of the school. 

"As usual!" hissed Aika.

When she passed by Echizen, her huge bag knocked him on the head, making his cap fly in the air, and making him fall head first in the snow.

"Ah, gomenasai, Echizen-kun!" she said without turning back.

She finally arrived beside her friends, who were all looking at her as if she were an alien or something. Momo's finger was shaking when he pointed at her bag, which made twice his height.

Amaya's eyes were two dots. "Eeerr, Harumi-chan? Where do you want to put that thing?"

Harumi's eyes rolled from her bag to the baggage storage area under the bus. The bag was of the exact same length.

"This thing is high of two meters!" exclaimed Chiharu.

"1.87 m long and 1.04 m large, to be exact, mumbled Inui, there's a 94 chance that if that thing gets in there, there weren't be room for any other luggage."

"How… how did you come here with that… THING on your back?" said Naoko while sweatdropping.

"Err… well, actually it's not that heavy!"

"Did you put your whole house in there, for God's sake?" mumbled Aika.

"There is no use discussing it now! – interrupted Tezuka – please store it in the luggage room and let's go!"

Eiji, who was hiding behind Taka-san during the exchange, scared badly by the size of the giant bag, now came out and said : "Hoi, Taka-san, be a gentleman and help her with that bag, will ya?"

"But… hum, I'm not sure I will be able to make it fit in there!"

"Taka-san! You forgot this." Fuji smiled while appearing at his side with a racket.

"Oh, um. Thank you, Fuji-san."

As soon as he took the racket, a red aura started glowing all around him.

"Grrrrr…. BURNING!!! I will make this microscopic bag fit in there alright! You can count on ME!"

He snatched the bag out of Harumi's hands and threw it in the hole with exact precision in a single fluent move.

"THERE! Hahaha! Greato!!!"

Then, everyone got on the bus. Harumi was almost certain that her friends have put Plan A into practice again. After all, a bus was a perfect place for such things, wasn't it? When she got up there, she saw that she wasn't mistaken at all. They were all sitting by couples, as far as she could see. Amaya waved at her from the first row. Beside her, Oishi looked like his face was going to explode if it got any redder. _They are soooo predictable_!

She smiled to herself. Then, she turned pale. _Oh no, that MEANS they have assigned me with Fuji again!_

She had been thinking about that incident the whole time, and now she wasn't mad at him anymore. She just blushed every time she thought about it. She felt like if she stayed within a meter radius of him, her legs would become jelly.

_I can't believe he's making me this weak by merely touching me! What the heck is going on? Anyway, I can't let this go on forever! It's been decided! I will officially start avoiding him, now! During the whole trip, I will not look at him, speak to him, and especially, not TOUCH him._

Smiling with this new resolution, she marched towards her doom. She could see Fuji's light brown hair above the rows of seats. _Ok, here I come!_

She got there and was about to sit down with dignity when she saw that the seat beside him was occupied by Taka-san.

"Eeeeeeeehhhh???" she exclaimed.

Everyone turned to look at her. Fuji, previously looking outside the window, turned to her as well; and as she met his smiling stare, she blushed.

"Is something wrong, Harumi-chan?" He asked in his usual voice, which meant sweet, kind, soft and…

_STOP IT, HARUMI!!_

"Taka-san!"

_YOU STOLE MY PLACE, YOU LITTLE… _she screamed in her head.

"You… you… why…"

Taka-san had a confused expression plastered on his face.

"Errr… there was a spider on your leg! I hate spiders! Oh, haha, don't worry, it's gone now! Everything is fine! The sky is blue, the birds are chirping! Enjoy your trip!"

She snatched her eyes away from those of Fuji and marched furiously towards the back of the bus.

_What's going on? How did that happen? Amaya, you will have some explaining to do, later!_

She completely forgot that according to her new resolution, she should be relieved instead of mad.

_Well, at least this can't get any worse!_

She got to the last empty seat. It was beside Inui.

"EEhhhhh, nani???????"

* * *

Hehe, there you go!! the next one is coming up soon, so please make sure to R&R! Thanks guys!! 


	7. Things that make her sick

Ok, first thing's first, let me just reply to your kind reviews, alright? Let's go!

**singer in the wind:** yup, even though she hates to admit it, she WANTED to sit beside Fuji. She was physically and psychologically prepared. but oh well, in real life, these kind of stuff really DOES happen. i know from personal experience since i can never get to sit beside the guy i like. ANYWAY, i'm gonna stop being random, LOL. well, i certainly do hope that u are gonna read and enjoy this new chapter!!!

**crazy bubbling blonde:** hehe, that was so done on purpose by a sadistic me. it's certainly the worst place on the bus, for her anyway. on well, she still gets the window seat because it has been decided by ME, as a sometimes nice author. but except for that, everything is gonna get pretty ugly, hihi! i hope u will enjoy the new chap!!

**anime-kunoichi:** new reader?? bwwaah! sugoi!! welcome, welcome, nya! (how did u like that? its my special and now improved Eiji welcome!) im so glad you like it! and i hope you will keep reading! thanks fo ur review, it was awesome:p

**Author's random notes:** I bought the harry potter book today:p if i dont update soon, its cause i will busy reading it, hehe. unless... you know what to do to motivate me, riiight?

**Things that make her sick: mountain paths and Inui**

Harumi was looking resolutely outside the window, as the snowy road stretched far to the horizon, and dead trees were passing by, made blurry by the bus' quick movement. She could sense an ominous aura right beside her, but she forced herself not to turn around.

Ignore. Ignore. Ignore.

She couldn't believe the fact that she had to sit with Inui. That guy gave her the creeps, for God's sake! They wanted her death, or what?

Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. Made Inui's pencil as it danced on his little notebook.

Harumi gritted her teeth. She couldn't stand that noise. If she didn't want to end up in an asylum, she had to make him stop.

Detaching her eyes from the window, she peeked over her shoulder to see what he was writing. On the cover were the words : _Top confidential. Inui's property_.

She had to twist her tongue in her mouth twice, before making it work.

"Probability of you asking me what I am writing : 98 percent" Inui said before she could open her mouth. She sweatdropped.

"Since you know my thoughts so well, why don't you just answer the question?" she said in an exasperated tone.

His glasses shimmered. He lifted his notebook at face level, sticking it before her eyes.

"Top confidential." He said.

"I know how to read, thank you!" A vein was pulsing on her head. "I don't want to know the content of those notebooks, but just what they are. I mean, aren't you too old for diaries?"

Inui didn't smile. He lifted his glasses with his hand. "This is… data." He said the word lovingly.

"Data? On what?"

"Everything and everyone. From tennis to habits to food. I have compiled these notebooks for three years now."

He rummaged through his bag and took out a notebook that seemed newer than the one he was writing in. Harumi saw her name on the cover, which made her jaw drop.

"You… you are gathering data on me???"

"Like I said, I do it on everyone."

"But… how does gathering data on me help you in any way? I mean, I understand that your teammates' tennis data must be interesting, but seriously, Inui-san, my tennis' level is far from theirs!"

Inui smirked, which made Harumi want to jump out of the window.

"Tennis is not everything. To know how they will react to certain circumstances, to know their true weaknesses, I must look beyond tennis. Interactions with other people are a good way of knowing more about the person I'm gathering data on."

His face suddenly got close to hers, which made her back off until her back was pressed against the bus.

"I… Inui-san…"

_CREEPY. CREEPY. CREEPY. SOMEBODY HEEEEEEELP!!!_

He raised his eyebrows.

"That's where you come in handy, Yamazaki-san." He whispered.

"Ah… haha… hum, I'm glad I can help…" she said in a distressed voice.

"Your interactions with Fuji are particularly interesting."

This time her eyes started burning. Her fist rose and fell heavily on Inui's head, making his glasses fall off. Inui gasped and quickly covered his eyes with one hand, while with the other he picked them up from his lap and put them on again. When he raised his head, he encountered the furious glare of Harumi.

"My interactions with Fuji are strictly normal!" she growled, daring him to contradict her.

Inui cleared his throat.

"I don't care about your _relationship_ with him, Yamazaki-san…"

She felt her blood rush to her face.

"RELATIONSHIP? WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY RELATIONSHIP???"

Heads turned their way. She crossed the curious looks of Naoki, Chiharu and even Kaidoh. She lowered her voice:

"What do you by _relationship_?"

Inui sighed.

"What I'm trying to say is that I don't care about personal things. I am simply observing. I have catalogued all of Fuji's expression in this notebook – he showed it to her – during the past three years. It was a hard job."

He raised his glasses again.

"Good for you." she mumbled through gritted teeth. For some reason, the fact that Inui had been spying on Fuji, HER Fuji... ok, hum hum, actually just Fuji, made her sick to her stomach.

"However, he continued, the other day, when he was holding you in the caf… GAAA!"

In one second, Harumi was on top of him, both her hands squeezing his neck and shaking him like a doll. _He saw that? No way! And I thought he was busy saving his notebook from the juice flood!_

"Shut up! _Shut up!" _she commanded.

Heads turned towards them again. Harumi saw the questioning look of Eiji directed her way.

She let out a nervous laugh and passed a hand over her hair. "Everything is alright here! We are just having a nice little chat!"

She then let go of Inui and sank on her seat.

_That's IT. I've had it! I will not listen to this nonsense any longer!_

Inui massaged his neck and cleared his throat.

"I'm just trying to analyze something."

She closed her eyes and ignored him.

"Well, when that thing happened, Fuji had an expression on his face that was none of the 34 ones catalogued in my archive."

Harumi opened one purple eye. Despite herself, she was curious.

"Probability of you being interested now, 99.9 percent." Inui mumbled.

"Shut up with your statistics already! Tell me about it. What was that expression?"

Inui rubbed his chin. "It was an expression I have never seen on him before. I'm not so sure about it. But there is a 23 percent chance that it was a mixture of…" he stopped and rearranged his glasses.

"Of?" she insisted.

Inui shook his head. "It's still too early to tell."

"Just tell me already!" she growled.

Inui's glasses shimmered. "If you want to know, then do something for me."

Harumi grew suspicious. "What?"

"You will have to bring that expression to his face again while I will be watching."

She sweatdropped, then laughed nervously. "Yeah, right... like expressions could be brought forth on command. I can just go to him and say : "Hi Fuji, show me expression number 35 please! Inui wants to know!" Geez...!"

Inui didn't seize the irony."Not like that. There is a much simpler way. You just have to repeat what happened in the caf that day."

Harumi almost choked to death. She regained her breath difficulty and stared at Inui to see if he was serious. Seeing that he was, she contained a burst of laughter and dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "There is NO way I will do that, so forget about it. Find someone else to do the job. I'm absolutely not interested. Oh, and while I am at it, I do NOT have anything personal going on with Fuji, so stop using me as a step-stone to gathering his data!"

She sat back furiously and looked out of the window, clearly stating that this conversation was over.

Inui opened his notebook. "Probability that she will think about it…" he smiled. "100 percent."

* * *

"Fuji… Fuji… what are you doing?" 

"Shhhh… it's alright. Everything is alright."

That feeling again. Soft and warm. Her hands were holding something.

Someone.

Tissue against her face.

She lifted her head and saw Fuji's face smiling down at her. He was holding her. Like the other day. His hands were pressed against her back. So warm.

Stay like this… forever…

She got closer to him. She closed her eyes.

Suddenly, the warmth disappeared. Fuji was gone.

"Fuji?" she cried out in distress, feeling cold and lost. Something hit her on the head.

BANG.

"Ugh!" she made as she woke up.

Her head was leaning against the window, and a bump on the road must have made her head hit it with more strength than usual. She sat up straight again and massaged her forehead. With sleepy eyes, she stared out of the window and saw that they were now climbing up a mountain path. _We must be almost there, then._

_Since when did I fall asleep? Oh, it doesn't matter. I think I even had a dream. A good one. I can't remember now…_

Her mouth felt dry. She wanted to take out her water bottle, but recalled that it was in the big bag. And the big bag was underneath her feet right now. She sighed.

"Not even a little water over here…" she mumbled under her breath.

Inui's face appeared before hers, making her hair stand straight on her head.

"Would you like some of my special Inui vegetable juice?"

He handed her a blue bottle with his name written on it. Harumi remembered the look of disgust on the other players' faces when they heard they had to drink that.

"Ano… no, thank you! I will just… pass."

Inui was cackling behind his notebook. Harumi found herself unable to stand him any longer. She stood up quite suddenly, startling him.

"Excuse me… I just want to stretch my legs."

Inui didn't even look like he intended to make place for her to pass. Gritting her teeth, she lifted her leg and passed above his.

_Pervert. Pervert. Pervert! I'm sick of it!_

Feeling a little dizzy, she walked slowly towards the front of the bus. The majority of the people there were asleep. When she passed beside Fuji's seat, she couldn't help but to look. Fuji wasn't sleeping. He was reading a book. Taka-san, on the contrary, was lying back with his mouth wide open.

Before Fuji could notice her standing there, she quickly moved on. Kaidoh and Echizen were sitting together, and they both seemed asleep. Chiharu and Naoki were quietly playing cards. They didn't notice Harumi.

Mai Buchou was beside Eiji. Her head was leaning against the window, and her long light hair was covering her face. Eiji was rummaging through his bag, which was filled with different kind of snacks. Harumi stopped beside him and crouched to be at his level. Eiji lifted his head and said quietly, to not wake everyone up :

"Hoi? Harumi! How are you doing?"

Harumi suddenly felt like breaking down. She gripped his arm and squealed:

"I can't do it anymore! I can't sit beside that creepy pervert any longer! Eiji, you gotta do something!"

"Miu, are you talking about Inui?"

She nodded, her face very pale.

"I know, he can be a freak sometimes, eh?"

"All the time!"

She shook his arm. "Eiji, DO something."

He put on his sad eyebrows. "But… what do you want me to do, Harumi?"

"I… I don't know! Anything!"

Eiji's cheerful smile came back. "Here! Have some snack! I bet you want some of these shrimp chips! They just came out."

Harumi sighed, but seeing his cheerful expression, she felt a little better. _Ok, the world is still normal. There is still hope._

"Are they good?"

"I don't know, I haven't tasted them yet!" he said enthusiastically.

However, Harumi didn't feel like eating. Probably because of her long stay with Inui, she felt nauseous.

"Actually, it would be better if you could give me some water?" she said.

"Oh, wait a minute, nya!" He rummaged some more and then came up with a red bottle with his face on it. "Here, nya!"

Harumi took it and drank the cold liquid inside. When she was done, she closed the lid and wiped away the water on her chin. Her throat felt better. When she lifted her head, she almost had a heart attack when she crossed the angry look of Mai buchou.

_Crap, I must have woken her up!_

Eiji, with his back turned to her, didn't see a thing.

"Neh, Harumi, wanna play cards? It's pretty boring over here!"

Mai's stare seemed to be able to pierce through stone. Harumi started sweating abundantly.

"Err… I… I guess another time. We… shouldn't… wake everyone up!"

Eiji had his sad pleading face on.

"Come on, Harumiiiii!! We will keep it low, I promise! Besides, you don't wanna go back to Inui, do you?"

Harumi felt like her head was being split in two by a huge iron hammer. Feeling dizzier than ever, she held onto his arm. Before her, Mai's burning eyes seemed to grow bigger and bigger.

"Why… don't you play… with Oishi?"

"Nya! He's too busy sleeping with Amaya on his shoulder!" he complained.

"Ugh…"

Eiji's voice seemed distant. The bus made a turn, and suddenly she really felt like throwing up.

"Harumi? Harumi! Are you feeling well?"

She stood up awkwardly.

"Yes… yes… I'm f…"

Then she collapsed on his lap. She heard Eiji calling her name in a worry voice, and then someone lifting her from the bus floor, then nothing.

* * *

When she regained her consciousness, she saw a sea of faces above her. Something cold was lying on her forehead. 

"What's wrong with her? Does she have a fever?" someone asked.

"No, I think she is… ah, how should I put this? Bus-sick?"

"Saa, with this mountain path, I can understand."

"But she is going to be alright, nya?"

Everyone was talking at the same time. She felt her headache getting worse.

"Silence! - Someone commanded – all you people there! Go back to your seats! She will stay where she is until she gets better. Anyone has any pills?"

"But…" someone complained.

"Go to the back!" the commanding voice again.

"I… I think I have some pills."

"Give them to me. I will take care of her." Someone else said.

Fresh fingers lifted her face. Her vision was blurry. Someone put two pills in her mouth and forced her to gulp down some water.

"This should make you sleep for awhile. After that, you will feel much better, trust me."

The person took away the cold thing on her forehead and replaced it with another. She closed her eyes and dived into the darkness once more.

* * *

When she woke up for the second time, she felt normal again. She blinked twice and then rubbed her eyes. The bus was still moving, but the path wasn't as bad as before. They were almost at the top of the mountain, and were heading in a straight line towards Amaya's cottage. 

She remembered collapsing on Eiji, and then someone giving her pills, but the rest was blurry in her mind. The first thing she realized while waking up was that she wasn't at the rear of the bus anymore, which meant that she wasn't beside Inui anymore. This realization alone made her feel a lot better.

She turned aside from the window and said:

"Eiji, I hope…"

Her tongue died in her mouth when instead of the redhead, she saw Fuji on the seat beside hers. He was asleep, his head tilting on his right shoulder. For a moment, Harumi's vision went red, than black, and she thought she was going to faint again. Then, her heart stopped acting all weird, and she regained her spirits.

_What is he doing here? Where is Eiji? What the hell happened? Why, in Christ's name, am I always the one in ignorance when things happen?_

For the moment, unsure and confused, she could only look at him. At his peaceful face. She was surprised and embarrassed to find herself thinking how handsome he truly was. She felt like she could watch him all day and not get bored one single minute. He was always smiling and being kind to others, but she knew that there must be a side of him that nobody could see. And she wanted to see it; she wanted to know him.

But… she would have to do that later because…

Right now he was waking up!

She looked elsewhere as fast as her confused mind would allow her to. She heard him shifting his position, and then yawning. She was wide awake, but she didn't want him to know that. Suddenly she felt that her insides were going to explode if he stayed beside her any longer.

In front of her eyes, the road became a snowy path, and trees were starting to pop up once again. But she saw none of that. All her senses were directed towards him.

Suddenly, she felt his fingers on her chin,fresh, light, soft... but commanding at the same time, forcing her face to turn towards him. She couldn't resist, and before she knew she would do it, she did : she closed her eyes. She realized she wasn't breathing, and forced herself to take in some air. She wanted to think of something, but her mind was once again utterly blank. She was scared.

Fuji took something from her lap. After perhaps twenty seconds (she was counting in her head, it seemed like the only thing she could do), something fresh and cool touched her forehead. She gasped and her eyes shut open.

She was welcomed by Fuji's usual smile. "Harumi-chan! I'm sorry I woke you up."

Harumi felt like yelling. She was doing it in her head, anyway. She sat up straight and gasped for air.

"Harumi-chan? Are you still feeling sick?"

"No… no! I'm fine now!" she couldn't look at him because she was blushing like crazy. "Ano… thank you very much, Fuji-san!"

Then she remembered she wasn't supposed to know that he was the one putting cool stuff on her head.

"… for worrying about me!" she added quickly.

"It's all good! I'm glad to see you are finally awake because I guess we will be arriving soon." He announced in his soothing voice.

Still, she wouldn't look at him. "Um, Fuji-san? What exactly happened? What… are you doing here?"

Fuji sat back and passed a hand over his hair. After taking a look at Harumi's back, he said:

"After you fainted, Tezuka asked if anyone had any pills for this kind of situation, and your friend Naoko had them. Eiji and Taka-san helped to carry you to Mai-chan's seat. Eiji was actually panicking a lot, and was being very clumsy, which I must say, was a pretty funny sight! So, I proposed to take care of you, and exchanged seats with Eiji."

She remembered the fresh fingers on her face, and the fresh towel on her forehead, and the pills in her mouth. So, all this time, the person who has been taking care of her was… Fuji? Her head felt like a locomotive. Finally, she lifted her gaze and looked at him. There must have been something deep in her purple eyes, because Fuji opened his, and stared at her, slightly surprised.

"You… you took care of me, all this time?" she was awed that she could pronounce these words.

Fuji smiled and nodded.

"But… why?"

_The answer is critical! Do I want to know it_?

Without knowing it, she was now half on her feet. Fuji's smile never departed from his face when he said:

"Do I need a reason for taking care of you, Harumi-chan?"

She was expecting something entirely different. The numb feeling inside of her was being replaced by a warm one. She even felt like crying. All this was so strange to her that she didn't know what to do or what to say.

The bus decided for her, or rather the driver. As he stepped suddenly on the brake, the bus jerked to a stop. Harumi felt her feet leaving the floor.

_Eeeehhh? What the…_

She was propelled forwards. Before she could even begin to understand what just happened, she flew over the front seats and fell, head first, on top of Amaya and Oishi.

"Welcome to your cottage, mistress Amaya!" the driver announced happily.

Amaya's only answer was a shriek, when she woke up with Harumi's foot on her face.

"Harumi! Get off me!"

* * *

Yup, one more done!!! so, like it? dislike it? neutral? tell me! 


	8. The snake charmer

**The snake charmer**

_AN : figure this chapter has a lot to do with Kaidoh? wroooong:p_

"A… Amaya… we must be at the wrong address. This can't be your cottage! Actually, it can't even be called a cottage, right?!" stammered Harumi with wide eyes.

The Seigaku male and female tennis team all had eyes the size of saucers while they stared at the place in which they were about to live for the next five days. Chiharu whistled sharply, while putting a hand over her forehead to protect her eyes from the blinding sun.

"This is not a cottage, alright." She said.

"No, it's not." Admitted Momo. "It's a freaking castle!"

Indeed, the mansion-like house was built on the highest spot of the Haguri mountain. A lawn as big a parking lot was situated in front of the main entrance and was split in two by a gravel path that led in a straight line to the door. On both sides of that path were fountains in the form of men and women, just like the statues from Ancient Greece. At this time of year, however, no water was pouring from their light clothes, and their heads were covered by thick layers of white snow.

The cottage-castle itself looked like a dark piece of stone erected among white feathers. It had two storeys, and each storey was garnished with countless windows. The main doors were in polished wood, and the door handles were coated with gold.

Chiharu's eyes were shining like two little stars.

"This… this is even more amazing than Atobe's house! I will have to tell him when we get back! He's gonna be sooooo jealous!" She chuckled.

The other people's eyes were just two dots. They couldn't quite believe that they were going in live in such a place.

Harumi's dizziness was replaced by plain bewilderment. She got out of the bus, and could only stare before her, oblivious of the cold.

Two servants all dressed in black came to them from the house. They saluted Amaya like she was some sort of princess, which she was, Harumi guessed, then one of them said:

"Over here, please!"

While they were crossing the snowy lawn, they slowly regained their spirits, and their awe was replaced by pure excitement. Eiji started dancing on the snow, and even threw snow balls at Kaidoh just to make him mad. Inui was noting everything down. Harumi was careful to stay away from him.

She smiled and even forgot that weird conversation with Fuji before she crashed into Amaya and Oishi. She looked up at the sky and saw that it was startling clear; no clouds could be seen. The air on the mountain was colder than in the city, but it was also very refreshing. Harumi soon forgot her bus sickness, and started laughing and running around with the twin sisters and Eiji.

"This is a nice place!" commented Fuji with a smile.

"It sure is! Like I said, it's even more magnificent than my Atobe's mansion! I'm DYING to see the inside!" answered Chiharu lovingly.

They entered through the two main doors and were welcomed by warmth coming from a fireplace under a marble mantelpiece. In the same room, they saw sofas and cushions everywhere, and also small tea tables in front of the fire, where people could talk or read or do whatever they wanted. A big orange cat was sleeping on one of the cushions, its tail enveloped softly around its body.

The second room was the dining room, which was connected to the kitchen by a small tunnel filled with pictures of Amaya and her family. Baskets of fruits lied on the long table, which made Eiji drool for at least five minutes.

The last room, which was separated from the others by a low and thick wall, was what looked like a bathroom for elephants. It contained a bath tube the size of a small pool, and was separated in two by a curtain; one side for the girls, and the other for the guys. The tub was constantly filled with steamy water, but its level was only a little bit higher than the knees.

"What does this mean, Amaya-chan?" asked Takasan.

"Oh, this is only the entrance to the hot springs." She answered with a smile.

"Hoi??? Hot springs!?" yelled Eiji excitedly – "Sounds SO cool, I wanna go now!"

Oishi grabbed him by the shirt while he was trying to run off. "Just wait a second, Eiji! Don't be all hasty! It's too cold outside!"

"You baka…" replied Amaya in a soft tone. "The hot springs are not really outside; they are in a special room built to look like a stone cave from where the water is pouring out. Actually, there is a small portion that is situated outside, among the snow, but even so you won't feel the cold at all because the water is really hot. Haven't you ever been to one of these places before?"

Oishi blushed. "Well… not really!"

Amaya smiled. "There is a first time to everything! Come on now, everyone!"

Eiji glided closer to his friend's ear and whispered. "Maybe you can go with Amaya tonight. You know… just the two of you!"

Oishi blushed so much that steam came out of his ears. Eiji held his ribs and laughed until his stomach hurt.

"The bedrooms are upstairs!" Amaya declared cheerfully. "I have to go check on the ski equipment I rented that should arrive by now, so you guys just follow Alphonse here, alright? He will show you around!"

"I'm so gonna get lost in here!" said Naoko with distress.

Naoki tapped her sister on the head. "You will get used to it, so stop complaining!"

Upstairs, they all saw several individual bedrooms, but Alphonse led them to a much bigger one with several beds in it.

"This room is for the guys, and the one next to it is for the girls. Amaya-sama thought that it would be more fun if you all slept together."

"She sure is right!" cried out Eiji "we will be able to do pillow fights, nya!"

"Fsssshhh…" Kaidoh looked quite displeased that he had to be in the same room as the loud Eiji.

Echizen remained silent, as usual. The girls all cried "Alright!" and then hurried to their room and looked around. At that moment, several servants started arriving with their luggage. The last one was almost dying under Harumi's giant bag. Harumi quickly discharged the poor guy from his burden, bowed deeply, and said that she was sorry for the trouble. The servant, who was only a young boy, blushed and then started bowing like crazy to her.

Inui wrote that down, of course.

Aika, who had been silent until now, suddenly jumped on Momo's back.

"Not fair! Can Momo and I share one of the smaller bedrooms over there?"

Momo nearly died of a heart attack when he heard those words. He got rid of her and then yelled: "What the heck are you thinking? Have you gone insane? No one is gonna share any room, or anything at all for that matter, with YOU!"

Aika put on her sad face. "But… you didn't need to be so mean…"

Her expression changed radically to that of anger. "… YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SCUM! Not share anything with me??? I'm gonna make you choke back those words, you insignificant worm!"

She jumped on him again and started hitting him on the head. Momo shrieked and then started running away. "She's crazy, just crazy! Someone help meeee…."

They all listened to his voice as it faded away, then sighed.

"Typical." Naoki said.

Heads nodded. "But who cares! – interrupted Chiharu – I'm on cloud nine! This is awesome! Look at those beds, they are sooooooo cozy!"

She let herself fall on one, and closed her eyes with happiness. "This is the life I've always dreamt of!" she whispered.

The girls and the guys all started unpacking their stuff.

Chiharu suddenly got up. "It's been decided! – she exclaimed – I'm gonna marry Atobe and make him buy me a mansion like this one!"

Harumi narrowed her eyes. "Aren't you a little obsessed with money, Chiharu?"

She scratched her head, then let herself fall down again. "This is happiness, my dear! All I want is happiness!"

Mai buchou was unpacking her luggage in silence. When she heard Chiharu's words, her severe glance shot in her direction. "Money does not equal happiness, Chiharu-san. You better mark my words, or you will end up with the exact opposite of what you have dreamt of."

Chiharu sweatdropped. "I was just kidding, buchou!"

* * *

"Can we go skiing today, neh Amaya-chan, neh?" asked Eiji in a pleading voice. 

Amaya shook her head.

"It's too late. The sun is setting earlier during winter and soon, you won't be able to see a thing. Besides, everyone must be tired from the bus trip."

"Demo!"

"Dinner will be ready soon, so take off your coat and get prepared."

Seeing Eiji's unhappiness, she smiled kindly. "But I promise we will be able to go, tomorrow!"

Eiji's eyebrows drew close. "Tseh! You are sounding more and more like Oishi. From the amount of time you spend with him, I'm really not surprised, nya!"

Amaya blushed and gritted her teeth. Seeing that, Eiji quickly backed off and waved his hands before him with false remorse. "But I'm not mad, not really! Oishi is my friend, so it's a good thing! Ja ne!"

He winked before taking off. Amaya watched him leave and sighed. Eiji could always get away with things like that.

* * *

Dinner was great, as would be expected from such a well off place. They all ate with good appetite, and then afterwards gathered around the fireplace to play poker and drink hot tea and coffee. As usual, Fuji was about to win when he was beaten by Tezuka. Not mad at his captain at all, Fuji just smiled and said: "Saa, I just can't beat you, Tezuka!" 

"There is always next time!" said Momo.

The poor guy had bandages all over his face from the scratches given to him by Aika. Harumi shuffled the cards and said:

"Neh, let's play again! This time, I will beat you for sure, Amaya!"

"In your dreams, girl! I'm just too lucky for ya!"

"I will stretch my legs for awhile." Declared Fuji while standing up. "Please start this round without me!"

"Now… now… too scared of Tezuka, aren't you?" Aika simpered.

His mouth curved slightly upwards at her words. "Quite the contrary, Aika-chan. I'm always up to a good challenge." Saying that, his eyes opened, and his blue glance shut Aika up. Harumi chuckled behind her set of cards, and then stopped abruptly when Aika's eyes pierced her.

"Te… Tezuka-san, do you think you can show me some of your tricks? – asked Naoko shyly – I… I mean not all of your tricks, of course, but the basic ones, because… well, I really suck at poker."

Her words were met with utter silence. Naoko lowered her head.

"I can not teach you the basics of the tricks." Tezuka said sternly without looking back.

Naoko gasped silently, and then her expression saddened.

"But I can teach you the rules and basics of_ poker_. And as you start practicing while playing with other people, you will slowly discover your own tricks. If everyone played with the same ones, there would be no winners and no losers, since everyone's moves would be easily predicted by everyone else. It is like tennis. You have your own style of tennis, and you work on that, and that is how you can ultimately overcome yourself."

Tezuka stopped speaking and started distributing the cards. Naoko's eyes were shimmering with emotion. Never before had Tezuka talked to her so. She slowly raised her head and crossed that determined look behind the glasses. She nodded fervently. "I see. Then, please teach me, Tezuka-san!"

She bowed her head.

"Look, then!" he said while he started playing again.

No one else noticed their little conversation, except for a giggling Naoki, who always knew everything. Harumi was concentrating on her cards. Since the beginning of the evening, she had always come second to Amaya. Her friend wasn't the best one of the lot, of course, but she felt bitter to always lose to her like that.

She was still frowning when a sweet sound suddenly broke the cozy quiet of the place. Everyone stopped talking. At first Harumi couldn't do anything else but to listen to the melody, (for it was a melody), letting it wash over her like waves.

Then as if animated by one mind, they all looked at the far corner of the room, where Fuji sat on a cushion, a flute between his lips. The music that was so enchanting was coming from his instrument. Everyone listened in silence and awe for a few minutes, before Momoshiro shrugged his shoulders.

"Naah, that Fuji! Playing his flute again!"

"Yeah, you think you would get used to it by now, but the first notes are simply beautiful!" added Chiharu with a smile.

"He really carries that flute of his everywhere, neh?" smiled Naoki. "Brings back memories!"

Inui noted something on his notebook.

Kaidoh hissed impatiently. "Play already, or are you ready to give up? Baka?"

Momo realized he was talking to him. "Who are you calling baka, you baka?"

Eiji took advantage of the situation to stretch his flexible body and look over Takasan's shoulder to see his cards. A playful smirked formed on his face.

"Eiji!" rose the disapproving voice of Oishi.

Eiji shrank back and smiled through his teeth with a guilty expression. Slowly, they all went back to the poker game. All except for Harumi, who couldn't detach her eyes from Fuji's light fingers dancing above the holes of the flute. Her friends' voices were dim in comparison to the high and low notes coming from the instrument.

Fuji's eyes were slightly open, and shone a little in the dim light of the fire. The music was like a whirlwind of different colors which all danced and waved to form visions of beautiful and savage places. The rhythm was sometimes slow and sometimes more paced up; Harumi felt she was following a river in a distant place, which ran into a larger water course to finally cascade down the steep slope of a mountain. As the water crashed several miles underneath, birds sprang their wings and flew up high into the blue sky.

"Harumi? It's your turn!"

Her eyes regained their focus and she blinked, a little bit blinded by the bright light of the fire.

"Yeah, err… ok!" she staggered, then selected a random card and played it. She had definitely lost her concentration.

She shook her head to dissipate the last vivid images created by the flute's music.

_What was that river I just saw? And the birds? They looked so damn real! But I must have imagined them, I must have! _

She peeked over her shoulder to steal glances at Fuji, whose fingers still danced, seemingly at the rhythm of the beautiful melody.

_I didn't know he could do that too. It's like… it's like he's a snake charmer and I am the snake who can't help but to come out of the basket… oh, for god's sake, what am I saying?_

After awhile, the music finally stopped. There was a moment of absolute quiet; then, suddenly, the orange cat meowed pleadingly for more milk, making everyone laugh. Fuji got up slowly and put his flute back into place. He then noticed Harumi staring at him in a rather weird way, and waved his hand at her with a smile.

Harumi suddenly beamed and waved her hand back at him. "That was great, Fuji-san!" she exclaimed. "Can you play us something else?"

Fuji looked surprised for awhile. Well, it wasn't often that he got a second request from his friends, who normally would get so used to the music that by the end of the first song would even forget the fact that he was playing. At Harumi's request, for the first time he felt he was making someone else happy with his music. Usually, he played for himself only because it helped him think, and he always felt like it was mere entertainment for his friends. It might also be mere entertainment for Harumi, but he thought he caught something else as well in her purple eyes. For the first time, he felt like he would be playing for someone else. Not letting any of that transpire on his face, of course, he replied:

"Saa, if you insist!"

Mai buchou stood up at that moment, dark figure against the red fire. "It's late! We should all go to bed now. Remember that we all have to wake up early tomorrow."

Tezuka agreed. The others complained a little, begging for a last round of poker, but Tezuka remained stubbornly silent, with Mai supporting him from behind. Seeing both their buchous standing over them like that, they sighed and started packing. Harumi was really mad at Mai's behaviour. She wanted to listen to the music, dammit! Mai was the captain alright, but they weren't at a tennis camp here!

That night, as Harumi laid on her bed, staring at the well painted ceiling, she could still hear the echoes of the melody resonating at her ears. All around her, her friends were already asleep, breathing evenly in the stillness of the night. Somewhere in the house, the orange cat meowed again softly, and then rustled by their door. Somewhere in the house, someone coughed. She listened to those sounds with her eyes closed, and her brain turning like an engine.

_Hm, that was some quality music! And for some reason it felt like Fuji was really happy that I had asked for a second song. Mai-san HAD to interfere at that moment. I wonder how his second song would have sounded like…_

With these thoughts in mind, she slowly slipped farther and farther from reality, with the flute's soft melody still floating lightly on her mind, like a butterfly.

* * *

SO, you didn't know that Fuji played the flute, neh? hihi, well i just made him do it! 

ok, concerning your reviews, i am really grateful, as usual!! you guys are great readers! it really means something for me to write for you guys!! so here are some individual replies to ur reviews!

oh, and one more thing... i finished writing the next chapter as well as reading the harry potter book, all that in three days!! I know, I know, I'm brilliant, you don't need to say it! BUT, as far as the next chapter goes, i wont post it until i get some new reviews, got it? and no, its not a threat and definitely not blackmail:p

hum, hum, anyway, i shall take my leave, then!

**crazy bubbling blonde:** always the first one to review, huh? good job girl!! i'm really happy you are reading this, and taking your job as a reviewer seriously! well, after all it seemed there was nothing to fear from harry potter... ALTHOUGH i slept at 2 am for two nights in a row! but its not like i have school right now, so everything is fine!! haha, the Eiji scene on the bus was funny, yeah. the whole chapter was pretty fun to write. well, now i hope YOU wont be too busy with harry potter to read my fic, LOL. Ja ne!

**Yuki:** wow, that review rocked! thanks for saying im a good writer! lol, it means a lot! i didnt think high of my writing skills, and i dont, but if you really think so, then it means i made some progress since... err... last time, hehe!! thanks for reading!!! hope this chapter was cool for you too!

**gossipmonger :** hey there! thanks for the two reviews, and for your upgrade!! im super duper happy you really really really like it!! well, this chapter comes soon for you, then!! and trust me, the next one is just around the corner, since i already typed it and all. ya all know your important job in this lifetime, right? read and review, slogan number one:P anyway, forget about my rambling and see ya next time!


	9. Doubts

Whoa! Guess what? Blackmail actually worked, hehe!! I got more reviews than usual! Well, thanks for waiting and for reviewing, then! I will keep my rambling to myself (or at least, till the end of the chapter), and I will let you enjoy this for now!

**Doubts**

"Wake up! Wake up! Oi!"

Harumi moaned and buried her face even deeper into the soft pillow. A ruthless hand shook her again.

"Harumi! Oi! You are gonna be late!"

"Katsuo… I swear… if you open that mouth of yours again, I'm gonna beat you to a pulp and then step on you until you are tinier than dust!"

"Katsuo? Who's Katsuo? Your boyfriend?"

Harumi opened one sleepy purple eye and stared directly into Amaya's joyful face.

"You are not Katsuo." She mumbled.

"Of course not, silly! Do I look like a boy?"

"Yeah…"

"What? Oh, shut up Harumi! The others are already taking their breakfast. You wanna go skiing, or not?"

She sat up with difficulty and rubbed her eyes. "I guess…"

Amaya was already fully dressed into a warm pant and a sweater. She threw one last "hurry up!" at her before disappearing outside the bedroom door. Harumi slowly got off her bed and looked at the disordered and empty room she was in. Socks, scarves and personal object were lying everywhere on the floor. Apparently, she wasn't the only with a messy nature. She sighed and started the difficult task of finding her own clothes.

In the room adjacent to that of the girls, Inui was experiencing quite the same thing as Amaya did.

"Kikumaru! Oi, Kikumaru, wake up! It's morning already!"

Eiji moaned something in his sleep, his face covered by the blanket. The only thing Inui could see of him was the tip of his red hair. He seized the blanket and pulled it away from him. Eiji crossed his arms around his chest and let out a loud complaint.

"Come on, Eiji! We don't have all day! The others are already getting ready to go out."

"Hm… I want… more snacks…nya…"

"Quit sleep talking! Night time's over!" He sighed. "You are not getting up, just as my data predicted."

Inui scratched his head, then got an idea. He pulled the curtains and let the sun rays flow into the room. Eiji made an uncomfortable face and turned the other way, only to encounter Inui's hand shaking him relentlessly on the shoulder.

"Nya…NYA!"

Eiji's hand flew to the side of the pillow, where lied his faithful morning companion: the fly swatter! Before Inui knew what was happening, he got swatted on the head, which knocked off his glasses from his face.

Still swinging his fly swatter with his eyes closed, Eiji mumbled. "Go away from my snack, you evil bug!"

Inui's scream as he fell to the ground made both Eiji and Harumi's eyes pop open for good.

* * *

"Err, Harumi? What's up with the new coat?" 

Harumi ran towards them, her mouth stuffed with bread. For a moment, she couldn't answer as she seemed on the verge of choking. Then, she finally swallowed the whole thing and said:

"Oh, this? It's so troublesome! I can't find my usual coat anymore, with the mess in the bedroom and all that…" she finished with an accusing glare.

No one looked guilty at all. "Well, said Chiharu, it's a good thing! You should have gotten rid of that old coat of yours anyway! This one is much nicer, I must say! You even look pretty in it!"

Harumi blushed slightly. Coming from Chiharu, that was certainly a big compliment. But she didn't agree with the last sentence:

"Yo, what do you mean by that? I hope you aren't saying that I'm usually not pretty?"

She was wearing such a scary expression on her face that Chiharu sweatdropped and staggered:

"No, of course NOT, Harumi!"

"But it's true that this coat looks nice on you!" smiled Amaya cheerfully. "Where did you get it?"

"Oh… some store in Tokyo, I forgot…"

Harumi's honey hair was attached in a pony tail, and the soft yellow and brown coat somehow matched perfectly with her hair while making her purple eyes stand out. The black belt around her waist outlined her curves. Chiharu nodded again approvingly. Naoko approached and touched the material with two fingers.

"Well, it doesn't look all that warm, though! Are you sure you are going to be alright with this? You are going to be outside all day, you know?"

Naoko herself looked like a teddy bear, with her thick coat, scarf, hat and several layers of sweaters underneath. Harumi was thinking about Naoko's words when the boys arrived. From the corner of her eye, she caught the surprised and approving look that appeared on Fuji's face when he saw her in her new coat. She blushed slightly and returned a wide grin to Naoko:

"Nah, I will be just fine!"

"Over here, please!" Amaya cried out merrily.

She led them all outside, where their boots crunched noisily on the thick layer of snow. They walked for a minute or two, going around the left side of the castle until they reached a small hut. Amaya opened the door and revealed a huge mountain of ski equipment inside.

"Please try out the skis. Alphonse here will help you with the poles and the boots. Once you have everything you need, you can put on your skis and get used to them outside. Don't go too far, though!"

While she was speaking, Alphonse had glided silently into the room from a back door, and had bowed at them all. Eiji could hardly contain his excitement. Going swiftly from one pair of skis to another, he was talking loudly to himself about how cool he would look on all of them. Even Echizen looked quite pumped up: with one hand he was examining the sticks, while the other was lying casually in his pants' pocket. His eternal cap kept his eyes out of sight from the others.

Inui took off his gloves and started scribbling away in his notebook at an even higher speed than usual. Fuji was the fastest one to choose his skis and his poles. Alphonse measured Fuji's height with his eyes and then examined his equipment. He smiled quite approvingly.

"You have a good eye, sir! You have found a quite expensive pair of skis there. – he said with respect – the best there is at the moment, actually. And their length is just right for you!"

Eiji hurried to his side. "No way, nya! Fuji already took the best there is? How did you choose so quickly, Fujiko?"

Fuji passed a hand over his hair. "Well, I have some experience in skiing." His eyes opened briefly. The others looked scared.

"There is not one thing that Fuji is not good at, dammit!" groaned Momoshiro.

While the guys were busy talking, Naoki waved to the girls. "Alright, alright, you know what we have to do!"

"Do you have everything ready, sister?" asked Naoko excitedly.

Harumi leaned in suspiciously. "What is this?"

"Well, it's sad but it seems that some of us are _really_ bad at skiing."

Harumi sweatdropped. "Eeerr, well… it's my first time skiing, so I guess… you are right."

Amaya patted her on the shoulder. "Then you are the only one who won't need to act."

"What… what do you mean?"

"Those who are part of plan B, please step forward!" Naoki ordered.

Aika, Naoko and Amaya did.

"Well, Harumi, just for your personal information, outside of plan B, these three are all exceptional skiers. Hell, even I can't beat them."

"So… err, what's the point?"

"Well, according to my research, all the boys know how to ski, except for Kikumaru, so we, who ski so poorly, will need all the advice they can give us, right girls?"

Her white teeth gleamed. The three girls nodded fervently. Naoki then took out a square paper box from under her coat.

"We will tell the boys that we can't ski. And we will make the girls draw the name of their temporary teacher from this box. Of course, that's where plan B kicks in. All the papers in this box are blank. The girls will have the paper with the name of the guy they want folded in their palms when they plunge their hands inside this box. And of course, the paper they will "draw" will be the one they had all along."

She laughed in a shrill voice. "This was my invention. I am great! It's alright, you don't need to say it."

Harumi was dying on a bench.

"Since Chiharu is separated from her dear Atobe, there's no point for her to pretend. She will ski freely, and I must say, without a partner."

Chiharu wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh, what a tragedy! How did I end up to be the one who will be all alone?"

"I know, replied Naoki in a tearful voice, we will make sure Atobe and you shall never be apart again!"

"Th… thank you so much, Naoki!"

They fell into each others arms, crying. Harumi cleared her throat noisily.

Naoki bounced back to normal and handed a little piece of paper to Aika, Amaya and Naoko. Then, she threw one to Harumi as well, who caught it with a frown. Naoki then called out loud to catch the boys' attention. Harumi sighed and unfolded unconsciously her sheet of paper. She stole a glance at it, then turned away, then looked at it again, her eyes the size of saucers.

* * *

Naoki had announced to the boys what they planned to do, careful choosing her words so that they couldn't possibly say "no" if they were moral human beings. At Naoki's delight, they all were, so the question was settled. 

Now, she was talking in private with Mai Buchou.

"So, Buchou, are you sure you don't want to do this?"

Mai's expression never shifted, and she didn't deign to answer.

"Well, I can understand if you are too proud to pretend to be any less than what you are, Buchou. But, seriously, letting _your _teaching skills go to waste would be a shame. I'd be very happy if you participated with us, that is why I am saying this. So, why don't you team up with Kikumaru? He looks like a beginner. He could use your help."

Mai remained silent for a long while. "He's too noisy." She finally said.

"Yes, but that is what makes his charm, don't you think?"

Mai's eyes hardened, and she scanned Naoki from head to toe.

"Oh, come on, it's been all these years since we know the guys. It won't be a problem! And I'm confident when I say that you…"

She was interrupted by Harumi's ruthless shove on the head.

"Ouch! Harumi-chan, I'm in the middle of something important here! And why did you do that for? It hurt!"

Mai took advantage of this opportunity to walk away.

"No, Buchou, wait!"

Mai disappeared behind Alphonse. Naoki sighed and turned towards Harumi, visibly in a bad mood.

"Ok, explain yourself, now!" she hissed.

Harumi didn't back off. She stuck her piece of paper under Naoki's nose and groaned:

"What's the meaning of this?"

Naoki pushed the piece of paper away from her face to be able to read the name written on it. "Yeah, so what?"

"You really think I like this guy?"

"Of course not!"

Harumi frowned. "Then why did you give it to me? I thought the whole purpose of plan B was to…"

"Well, I have decided it's better to exclude you from both plan A and plan B from now on."

Harumi's jaw drop. "What? But why? If I did anything to upset you…"

"It's nothing personal between us, trust me."

Harumi could feel anger building inside her chest. "Then tell me why it's written Takasan in this piece of paper! And tell me why you excluded me from plan A on the bus as well. I was stuck with that Inui freak during the whole trip! You better have a good explanation for everything, Naoki!"

Aika waved at them from the other side of the room where the others were gathered. Both Naoki and Harumi ignored her.

"You are spending way too much time with Fuji. This is going to get back to you at the end." She finally said.

"What? What the hell are you talking about? You… oh, I see. You don't want me to spend time with him because YOU like him, is that it?"

"You baka! I would NEVER like someone like him. And let me just give you one piece of advice, whether you listen to it or not will be up to you. Don't fall recklessly in love with Fuji Syusuke, or you will regret this bitterly, do you understand?"

"No, I don't understand! – Harumi yelled – give me one good reason why I should not!"

"So, you admit you are already falling in love with him?"

Harumi bit her tongue, and she glared at her friend, anger still building up at an alarming rate. Naoki sighed. "Well, since the answer is obviously yes, I see that I have done well. From now on, stay sway from him for awhile. Maybe your head is going to clear up."

After all this time pretending to herself that he was just a friend, she didn't care anymore what Naoki was saying. All she wanted was to understand.

"I still don't get it! – she hissed – I will fall in love with who I want. Who are you to interfere in my business? You are always setting up plans for everyone. Just chill for awhile and get your own life, ok?"

Naoki looked hurt at those words, but Harumi didn't care.

"I am doing this for your own good, can't you see that?" she hissed back, losing her calm.

"No, I can't! Why don't you make me see it, huh? Come on! I'm waiting!"

Naoki broke. "Alright, I will tell you, so you better listen carefully, you wood head! If you fall in love with Fuji, you will get hurt at the end! As simple as that! Why? Because Fuji will never feel the same way. _Never!"_

Harumi didn't let her shock show on her face. Her hands became two fists.

"And how would you know that, Naoki? You can see the future now? Or is it because you are in his mind? You can read whatever he is feeling, now?"

She laughed sarcastically.

"You don't know Fuji!" Naoki yelled back.

"Yeah, right, but you know him as well as the palm of your hand, huh?"

"I've seen this whole thing before!! Girls falling for him, getting hurt! It happens again and again! You have known him for… what? Three weeks? Less? I have known him for years! So excuse me if I say that I know him better."

Harumi repelled the urge to punch her in the face.

"You know nothing about him! You are never around him! I can see that he cares for people, that he is always there to help! He is kind to me! Isn't that enough?"

"You are right. He cares for people, and that's why he cares about you! Slip under the skin of any other girl for one day and go talk to him. You will see that he will be as kind to this unknown girl as he was with you. Many girls have fallen for that, thinking that they had some special treatment from Fuji, that he cared more about them, but it's all a silly dream! Fuji is kind to everyone, but there is zero chance that he has feelings for all the people he shows kindness to!"

Harumi grabbed Naoki's coat and shook her a little. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"You are lying… you are lying!!! It's all a filthy LIE!" she shrieked and then walked away.

Naoki stood there alone, watching her leave. "Just don't fall for him any more, Harumi-chan." She whispered.

Harumi ran out of the little hut and let the icy air sting her face and her bare hands. She quickly dried her tears on her coat and then bent over, hands on her knees, and panted for breath.

Surprising even herself, her anger was gone. She felt a deep calm inside of her.

_Her words were stupid lies. I mustn't listen to them. I mustn't. _

However, something felt really empty inside of her as well. She didn't want to believe those words, but what if they were true?

"So what if they were? I don't care! I never expected him to like me back in the first place. I will be with who I want. I will train with who I want. I will sit beside who I want! Who is she to decide for me what's best for myself?" she yelled into the icy air.

Footsteps on the snow behind her.

She didn't turn back when she heard Amaya's worried voice rising from behind her back.

"Harumi? What are you doing outside? The drawing is going to start."

"I don't care about that stupid plan!" she cried out much harder than she had intended to.

Amaya took a step back, bewildered by the anger in her voice. "What is wrong, Harumi?"

Harumi repelled new tears that were threatening to squeeze out from her eyes. "Nothing. Just needed a moment away from the whole fuss."

She turned towards Amaya and walked past her and into the hut.

"Right at the good time, Harumi!" exclaimed Chiharu cheerfully. "Come on, it's your turn!"

"I don't need it!" she said in a more controlled voice. "I can ski by myself!"

Chiharu approached. "Demo… earlier you said that you were a beginner!"

"Well, seems like I lied!" she replied.

The look in her eyes made Chiharu swallow back the words she was about to utter. "Alright, if you are sure…"

Harumi walked past her and waited patiently while Alphonse was finding her a pair of skis, poles and ski boots. She sat down on the bench and purposely took her time to get prepared. When she lifted her head, the hut was almost empty except for Inui and Eiji, who was struggling with his boots. She could hear laughter outside.

Then, Inui also left.

"Miu… this sucks! – Eiji said – I don't know how these boots work!"

Harumi silently crouched down and helped him correct the mess he had done. He was pushing the fastening latches in the wrong direction, almost breaking them. Harumi made sure his foot was comfortably placed inside the boot, before fastening the latches tightly around his ankle.

"Hoi, this feels much better!" The redhead passed a hand over his hair, quite embarrassed. "I don't know what I would do without you! Well, my skiing will be less catastrophic, nya! Maybe I will even come up with new Kikumaru moves! I will show you at the end of the day, Harumi! You just wait and see!"

Harumi stood up awkwardly in her boots. Her skis and poles under one arm, she walked away without a word. Eiji blinked twice before catching up with her, risking twice losing his balance.

"Oi! Are you mad at me, Harumi?"

Harumi quickened her pace, but Eiji's hand grabbed her by the shoulder and jolted her to a halt.

"Harumi? Daijoubou?"

The true concern in his voice made her stop trying to push him off. Eiji made her pivot towards him and backed off when he saw she was crying.

"Harumi! – he exclaimed in a freaked-out voice – whatever I did, I'm sorry!"

"This has nothing to do with you, you baka…" she said quietly. "Something got in my eye, that's all."

She wiped away her tears and beamed at him. Eiji's concerned face melted into a warm smile. She was certain that he had swallowed what she just said, but then something unexpected happened.

Eiji pulled Harumi into a big, fierce, rib-cracking hug.

"Erg, Eiji? Don't break my ribs." she mumbled against his shoulder.

"Kikumaru hug, nya! – he said cheerfully - it's the best counter for anything bad that happens! How about we all get a snow ice cream before skiing? You know, as an early compensation for all the butt bruises we are gonna get today!"

Harumi let out a small laugh. She let go of her ski equipment and hugged her friend back.

"Alright! – she said – but loosen up a little, will ya?"

At that moment, the door burst open again, and Mai buchou's silhouette fell on the floor before them.

Her eyes narrowed when she saw Eiji and Harumi.

"What are you two still doing here? There is no time for that kind of stuff! Go warm up!"

Harumi got away from Eiji and picked up her stuff. When she heard the last part of her sentence, she stopped a moment, and then smirked.

_Mai buchou thinks I was hugging Eiji as a lover or something. How stupid can she get? _

Eiji was scratching his nose, intimidated by Mai's angry eyes. "And you! – Mai pointed a finger towards Eiji – you are coming with me! I will see whether or not I can squeeze some basics into that head of yours!"

Eiji looked pleadingly at Harumi, but before Harumi could speak, Mai took his arm and pulled him outside. Harumi tried to be more cheerful when she followed them out of the room. She felt dizzy and nauseous. All the excitement for this day was gone, being replaced by a tight knot in her stomach that just wouldn't go away.

* * *

Well, as shocking as it may seem, I have nothing random to say today, haha! i hope you liked this chapter and the new turn of events! 

**inmyopinion:** yeah, long live to the FujiOC fics!!! i used to read them all on this site before deciding to come up with my own as well! oh yeah, interruptions are so freaking annoying. i know this from personal experience, trust me! i hope you liked this new one!!! see ya!

**Rita:** hey there! thanks for the review! am I really a genius? hum... lol, i dont know about that, but thank you anyway, and you can believe me when i say that im writing so hard that my fingers are bleeding! hehe, ok maybe not that much. but i update every three days or so. its pretty cool, huh?

**singer in the wind:** you have been on poetry lately? how cool is that? but are you reading poems or writing them? as far as this fic is concerned, your wishes have been granted! i have posted as soon as the number of reviews seemed satisfying. i know, i know, sadistic me, hehe.

**white alchemist Taya:** thank you very much:p

**auie19:** hey there!! hope you are doing good? as you can see, i just updated!! and now i will just to keep on updating, right? dont worry, i have inspiration these days!! the story just writes itself! i can just sit back and let my fingers do the work, hehe.

**JayleeJ:** thank you for both of your reviews!!! nah, i wont make them become a couple too soon, dont worry about that. im too excited about writing the process anyway, lol. thanks again, and keep reading:p

**fanXforever:** yeah!! im happy about it! thanks for reviewing!

**crazy bubbling blonde:** yeah, you can be proud of yourself, dammit! you are my most consistent reader! if you keep it up, i can make a medal for ya!! yeah, somehow even I think that harumi and fuji are cute! and i personally i hate playing flute too. but it seems to fit with fuji's personality, somehow:p i hope you will keep on reading!!! thanks for the review!!

fiouuu, finally finished replying to everyone!! you people make me do extra work, huh? but i dont complain!! for once im happy about extra work, hehe.

oh yeah, you know the scene with Eiji and the fly swatter? well, some of you may not know it, but it was inspired from a short video called Eiji's wake up call. I saw it on youtube and found it extra cute and funny! Fuji's wake up call is the best, though!! i dont know if i can post links in here, but anyway, i will try!!

eta: ugh, forget it, its not working. but you havent seen it, go on youtube and type in "pot wake up call". that should do it.


	10. You came

**"You came" **

The day was sunny, but the air was icy cold. When Harumi went out, she couldn't help but to shiver in her thin coat. Tezuka ordered them to start warming up.

After they have done so by running around the castle under the severe scrutiny of captain Tezuka, they were all ready to go.

Harumi's first attempts at this new sport were catastrophic. She couldn't get used to these long bars pointing from both her feet. She had a hard time moving on them, but she didn't lose her balance, contrarily to what she had feared. Then, there was a moment when she got close to a little slope in front of the hut. Before she could prevent it, her skis started to glide downwards. Panicking, she tried to turn around, but only managed to entangle herself and to fall roughly on her back.

She watched the blue sky for a moment with a sad face. She didn't have the motivation to ski, anyway. Despite herself, Naoki's words kept rolling on her mind, causing her much trouble concentrating on anything else. Eiji had momentarily distracted her from the whole thing, but now that she was alone, all by herself, dark thoughts started to come back once more.

From this height, the clouds in the sky seemed so close! She felt she could touch them if she raised her hand. However, a cold sensation soon crept all the way up into her body through her thin coat. She sat up, and then tried to get up, but kept slipping on the snow. She gritted her teeth and tried again and again, but each try ended with her face diving into the cold ice.

Completely discouraged, she just sat there and watched the others train in groups of two.

Aika was making Momo mad by always collapsing on him. Amaya was skiing slowly, holding Oishi's hand. Naoko was making hesitant steps in front of Tezuka, whose mouth was voicing words Harumi couldn't hear. Chiharu, Naoki and the rest of the boys were farther away, skiing swiftly to their hearts' content. Harumi followed Chiharu for a moment, whose red hair was shining like fire under the sun, before her eyes caught someone else.

She spotted Fuji far away. He was moving graciously on the snow, his scarf flying slightly behind him. She felt a pang of sadness, but also anger. A scream to her right distracted her, though, and she saw Eiji on the ground with both skis in the air. Mai-san was lecturing him and shaking one disapproving finger at his chest.

Eiji spit out snow from his mouth, before laughing in an embarrassed way.

_This is it. I have had it. _

Everyone seemed to be having fun, and no one even noticed that she was on the ground and couldn't get up. This stay at the castle was the worst decision of her life. She wanted to go home.

Furious and frustrated, she took off her skis, stood up, and headed for the hut. When she closed the door behind her, shutting out the bursts of laughter, she felt a little bit better. She knew it was selfish of her to hate her friends for having a good time, but she just couldn't stand it any longer.

She took off the big heavy boots and put on her own. Sitting there on the bench, alone, surrounded by skis, she slowly hid her face in her hands.

_It's all Naoki's fault! Why did she say those things? I hate her! That bitch! She is jealous that Fuji is talking more with a girl he knew for only three weeks, than with her, whom he knew for years! Serves her right! No one would like to talk and be friends with someone as stupid and selfish as she is!_

She screamed more insults to Naoki inside her head.

Footsteps suddenly resonated outside the door. Harumi quickly dried her tears and froze to listen. She hoped that the person would just pass by, but the footsteps seemed directed towards the hut.

_Greaaat, exactly what I need right now!! Go away!!_

At the last second, she bounced up from the bench and ran behind a huge metal container that was in one corner of the room. The door opened.

Ponk. Ponk. Ponk. Made the heavy ski boots as the person wearing them entered the room.

The person coughed, then some hinges creaked while a door was being opened. Harumi risked a glance over the metal tank to see who it was.

_Oh crap, no, not him! I really don't need him in the same room as me, please! Please, God, don't let him see me!_

But God was watching the Simpsons on Heaven Satellite while eating French fries right at that moment, so He didn't hear her.

In her hurry to hide back, her foot hit the container, producing a small but clear "taaaang" that lingered in the air.

The person paused in what he was doing. During a few moments there was only silence.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

Harumi was biting her hands while sweating abundantly.

The person started walking in her direction.

_Oh no, crap, what do I do? What do I do?_

Fuji peeked over the weird metallic thing in the corner, but no one was behind it. He scratched his head.

"This is weird. I'm pretty sure I heard a noise over here." He coughed again. "Maybe it was only a mouse."

On his way out, he opened the door of an old closet in the opposite corner, and put back the little bottle that he had just taken out.

When the door of the hut closed again behind him, Harumi sighed from behind a pile of skis. She just managed to sneak to her new hiding place at the last minute. She really didn't know how she would react if she came face to face with Fuji this fast after her dispute with Naoki.

"What was he doing in here, anyway?" she muttered to herself.

She opened the dusty closet that she hasn't noticed before, and took out the transparent plastic bottle that Fuji came in for. She shook it. There were small white things inside of it. Carefully, she popped open the lid.

* * *

After lunch, the ski session continued. Since everyone has made some progress, except for Harumi, Tezuka decided that it was time to do something more adventurous.

Skis and poles under their arms, the little group walked beyond the castle's sight and arrived at the top of several ski runs, which were separated into easy, intermediate and hard. Farther away to their left were cable cars for two, gliding silently upwards and downwards along dark cables, following the mountain slope.

Tezuka stood in front of the group, his perennial seriousness displayed on his face. Immediately, the excited and hushed conversations of the others calmed down. They all raised expectant eyes towards him.

"Very well, he said at last, this is what we will be doing for the afternoon. You have warmed up this morning in your skis and you have learned how to control your speed and how to make turns. It's time now for mountain skiing."

"Yataaa!" screamed out Eiji while throwing a fist into the air.

"Don't be too excited. You will probably be the first one to crush into a tree." Said Mai in a monotonous voice.

"Nya… that was mean!"

"When you reach the bottom of the run, you will get aboard one of these cable cars over there to come back up here again. Don't stay out for too long. Get in a warm place every two hours or so. You all know your levels, Tezuka carried on, so don't do anything foolish and end up with something broken, understood?"

"Hai, Tezuka Buchou!" they all replied together.

"Beware of the bears…" uttered Momoshiro in a gloomy voice, only to be hit on the head by Aika's hand. "Don't be silly. There are no bears in here!"

"You don't believe me? Then don't come to me crying when you get devoured by one!"

He didn't wait for Aika's reply, but instantly ran away from her in a cloud of snow, laughing.

Harumi was standing farther away from the others, visibly in a bad mood.

_This is aaawesome. Can this day get any worse? I mean, mountain skiing? Come on, you can't be serious!  
_

Naoko appeared beside her and took her hand. "Come on, Harumi! Show us what you've got!"

"Not much, I'm afraid."

"Oi, what's with the depressed expression? Come on! We will start with the beginner's run. You will get it really fast, trust me!"

Harumi sighed, but let her friend drag her along. She wasn't in the mood to have fun, but she didn't want to spoil Naoko's enthusiasm with her gloomy thoughts either.

The girls put on their skis and then held tight onto their poles. Harumi risked a glance over her shoulder and saw Kaidoh and Momo propelling themselves forward with a jerk. They were heading straight towards the hardest run, and the glances they were throwing at each other indicated that this was a competition. When they arrived at the top of the run, their skis left the ground and flew for a moment in mid-air, before they both disappeared from view.

Harumi gulped. It looked like they felt straight into the void.

_Ok, I'm being selfish and gloomy today, but I'm not a coward! Come on Harumi! You can do this! _

She arrived at the edge of her own run. The slope wasn't very pronounced. It went straight down, but then curved slightly to the left and disappeared behind a line of trees.

"I will show you what I learned from Tezuka this morning!" Naoko declared with great fondness.

She bent forward and let herself glide down along the gentle slope. Then, with her poles, she started to make herself accelerate more and more.

"Come on, Harumi!" she yelled before disappearing behind the trees.

Harumi hesitated for thirty seconds before following her. She leaned forwards and then let herself go. She let out a little scream when her skis turned right, then left, without her consent. She bent her knees and managed to follow the curve to the left. Just when she was letting out a sigh of relief, a tree suddenly appeared in her field of vision. She screamed for good this time, realizing that she was heading straight towards it, and used her poles to deviate her course. She didn't crush into it, but her forceful actions resulted in a complete loss of control over her skis.

Her speed was increasing with every second that passed by, while the slope also became steeper and steeper. The world in front of her eyes was a blur of white snow. She wanted to stop, but then recalled with bitterness that she hadn't learned how to do so.

Her skis were gliding silently on the frozen snow, and her face was numb from the cold wind. Her hands tightened on her poles as she tried to see if any obstacle was standing there in front of her.

Suddenly, without her knowing how or why, she was flying in the air. She screamed again and watched, horrified, as the ground passed by under her feet. Then, she fell ruthlessly on the snowy trail again. She almost lost her balance, but managed to stay on her skis nonetheless. Her speed increased even more.

Helpless, all her efforts focused on not falling, she continued her mad rush towards who-knows-where.

Within the blurry world of snow in front of her, her eyes suddenly spotted something white that didn't look like snow. She narrowed her eyes, looked again, and then shrieked with terror. It was a bear! A white polar bear! Two dark dots turned in her direction, and she was sure she saw fangs showing from under its white snout as well.

_It can't be a bear! It's a mirage! Like a snow mirage! There aren't any bears in here! Momoshiro was so lying! How could this be? It must be my imagination! No, wait... it DOES look alive!_

Her body remained rigid for an eternity, it seemed, before she forced her knees to bend fiercely. Her skis slipped on the frozen snow as she turned violently towards the left. Before she knew it, she had gotten out of the trail and into a small undergrowth. The little roads between trees were filled with bumps.

Harumi felt her teeth clash and her knees tremble. She was certain she would crush into a tree and that that would be the end of it, but surprisingly, it never happened. She flew out of the undergrowth and landed on another, steeper trail. She noticed faintly that she had lost both her poles.

Her heart was beating so fast it felt it was about to explode. Tears were pearling at the edge of the eyes because of the cold and the speed. Her mad rush was finally stopped by a rock near the edge of the trail. One of her skis hit it, and she was sent flying once more in the air, before landing ruthlessly on her back. The shock of the impact drew the breath out of her lungs as she gasped.

Ice and snow was in her eyes, her hair, inside her coat. She was still gliding down the mountain slope, on her back. She turned to her right and used both hands and skis to stop her body, but the slope was too steep. A small stone lying half buried in the snow ripped the side of her coat as she glided on top of it.

She wanted to call for help, but no sound came out of her dry mouth. Suddenly, her feet were in the void again. She looked again and saw no trail underneath her. With a wild cry, she fell down the cliff of the mountain. Trees and blurry rocks passed her by in a second.

_Is this it? Am I going to die? _

She closed her eyes, terrified at that possibility. Then blankness and cold surrounded her.

When she opened her eyes again, slowly, the grey sky filled her vision. Everything was cold around her and her body was numb.

_Am I dead? Is this what being dead feels like?_

No, she wasn't dead. She slowly raised herself up on her elbows and realized she was half buried in a bunch of snow. Her eyes followed the mountain cliff from where she had fallen, and she saw the edge of the ski trail six meters above.

All around her were only dead trees and rocks. She was all alone. She stared at the sky again, wondering how much time she had been knocked out.

_This is all because I tried to act tough! I shouldn't have come down the run in the first place. I just shouldn't have. I knew I couldn't ski. This whole thing was madness. Why did I do it?  
_

"Help!! Can somebody hear me? I'm down here! Heeeeeeeelp!!" she screamed towards the ski trail.

People of her team had to pass nearby since they were all skiing. For the next five minutes, she just sat there in the snow and called for help, but to her distress, nobody came.

Her limbs were still feeling numb, and she didn't trust her legs to support her just yet, but if she stayed in the snow for much longer, she knew she would end up dead for good. She realized then that she still had her skis on. Gritting her teeth, she used her hands to help her stand up. Her skis refused to move. Harumi bent over and took them off.

When she tried to move her left leg, however, a sizzling plain ran through her body like lightning. Grimacing, she froze in her movement. Then, slowly, she tried to move it again. The same pain shot right through her, this time extracting a little scream from her lips.

"What the hell is this?" she cried into the still cold air. "Why do these things always happen to me? How am I supposed to go back all by myself, now? And just how on earth am I supposed to do that, anyway? I don't even know what's wrong with this freaking leg! And I don't know where I am! And no one is coming! No one cares!"

She closed her eyes and tried to calm down.

_Screaming won't do me any good. I have to think, come up with a plan. First thing is first: I have to fix this leg. _

Because all her body was numb, she didn't know where the injury was. Ignoring the pain, she crawled out of the snow and stood up on one leg, while with one hand she took support from a tree nearby. She noticed that now that she has moved, the pain seemed to be easing a little.

She looked angrily at the trail above her, then at the undergrowth where she was.

"Alright, so to go back I will just have to climb this damn slope, right?"

Angry against the world and herself, she seized dead branches and dark rocks and started to pull herself upwards. Regular waves of pain shot through her left leg, but she couldn't help it. Each time, she just bit her lips and kept on going.

Suddenly, one of the rocks she was holding on to started to shake. With her other hand, she tried to find other grips, but her fingers only met snow and ice. The rock shook again.

"Oh no, you won't, you bastard!" she screamed at the same time as the rock came loose.

Yelling at the top of her lungs, she fell down once more. This time she landed on her chest, the rock still gripped in her hand. Her leg was feeling like hell. She couldn't move anymore.

"Damn it! Damn it!" she hissed through her tears.

The cold wind blew past her, painfully reminding her of her torn coat.

"Why has it come to this? It's not fair... I just wanna go home..."

_And no one cares about me... huh? I go missing but no one even bothers to look for me. And no one will ever know that I'm here. It's useless to go on. I will never make it to the top with my leg in this condition. _

She felt sleepy now. The cold ground underneath her chest suddenly felt like an inviting place to sleep. She closed her eyes and imagined being in a warm bed in her home at Tokyo. Mom was bringing her a cup of hot tea, and Dad was laughing loudly while watching some TV show, and Katsuo was smirking at her teasingly, leaning against the door of her bedroom.

"You baka, Haru!" she heard Katsuo say with his wide grin. "What are ya doing here?"

"Shut up, oniichan" she heard her own voice replying. "It's my bedroom. I don't know what you are talking about. I'm tired now."

"Haru! I'm serious. This is not meant to happen. Think about it."

From behind a haze, she saw Katsuo coming closer and kneeling beside her bed.

"Oniichan… what the hell…?"

He put a hand on her shoulder. It was so warm.

"Don't fool around with me. Get your ass moving, now!" He said in a commanding voice.

"I... I don't understand."

She stared into her brother's eyes. He had the same ones as she did: deep, purple eyes.

"Yes, you do. Harumi, you are not alone anymore. You can go back now."

"Back?" She felt slumber trying to bring her down, but she struggled against it. "Back where?"

"Back to where you are supposed to be right now."

"But this is…"

"This is not your bedroom, Haru. It's not. Go back..."

Harumi's purple eyes opened slowly. She could hear someone calling her name from far far away.

Then the voice came gradually closer.

"Harumi-chan? Please wake up, Harumi-chan!"

She blinked, fought against the cold and the slumber, and then opened her eyes again.

"Kat…suo?" she whispered through cracked lips.

"No, Harumi-chan. It's me. Fuji!"

"Fuji…san?" Her mind just didn't seem to understand.

"Look at you! Just what happened to you?"

Fuji said while forcing her to sit up. Harumi hang her head and felt her long hair brushing against her face. She raised a trembling hand to her head and noticed that her elastic was gone. Her hair was frozen. She pushed it back behind her shoulders.

Then she turned slowly to look upon the face the tensai. His eyes were open, and were showing true concern.

"I fell." She whispered feebly.

Her body felt heavy. Really heavy. She felt like lying down on the frozen ground once more, but Fuji's hands on her shoulders kept her from doing so. She raised dreamy eyes towards his face and a small smile appeared on her lips.

"You came."

Fuji looked shocked.

"I called… and I called, just wishing somebody, anybody, would hear me. You came."

Fuji was alarmed at that dreamy look in her eyes.

"Yes, I did, he said softly, come now, we've got to get you to a warm place."

The wind was blowing more violently now.

Harumi was shaking from head to toe. "Alright."

Fuji helped her stand up, but Harumi winced when her left leg touched the ground.

"Are you hurt?" Fuji asked.

"I… don't know."

Fuji crouched down in front of her and started touching different points of her leg. When his hand touched her ankle, she screamed a little and lost her balance. Fuji stood up quickly and caught her in his arms.

"It's your ankle, he said. It doesn't seem broken, but I suppose it must hurt. We have to go back quickly before the storm catches up."

"I can walk." Said Harumi absent-mindedly.

Fuji passed her arm over his shoulders. "Let's get going, then."

They didn't climb up the incline, but rather walked through the undergrowth. None of them had their skis. Wincing at every step, Harumi could only try to stay awake and hold on to Fuji's waist. Her eyelashes were frozen, and she couldn't feel her face anymore.

The cold also squeezed inside her chest from the hole in her coat. She didn't know where they were going. She could just put one foot in front of the other, and trust that by doing so everything was going to be alright.

Soon, it started to snow. The sky was as dark as if it was midnight.

Fuji and her didn't speak. They were all saving their breaths. The snow became blizzard in mere seconds, drowning the world under a whirlpool of ice and snow, covering the landscape under a grey coat. Harumi squealed, feeling her heavy boots sinking into the snow at every step.

"Courage, Harumi-chan, we are almost there!"

His voice was muffled by the storm. She closed her eyes and pressed herself against his body to escape from the unforgiving wind.

"This is bad…" she heard Fuji mumble to himself.

Harumi didn't understand any of this. It had be a dream. She was so cold and tired and hurt that her consciousness was already half gone. Suddenly, she fell on her knees and then cried out in pain as her ankle was forced to bend. The boots were like two heavy stones that were pulling her down...down... into this ocean of snow. Gasping, feeling lost in the darkness and the cold, she cried.

After an uncertain amount of time, Harumi suddenly felt something hot wrapping itself around her neck. Then, more warmth came, enveloping her upper body. An encouraging voice whispered at her ear:

"Please don't give up yet, Harumi-chan!"

She opened her eyes slightly. She was close to Fuji, so close that the warmth she felt was the one emanating from his body. She couldn't understand how he could be this warm when her own blood felt like ice. He was rubbing her arms vigorously with both his gloved hands. She opened her eyes a little bit more and looked at his face. There was snow in his hair and on his face, but his eyes were still half open in spite of the furious wind. The pain shot through her once more. She winced.

"Please go on without me, she said weakly, I can't walk anymore, it's no use. If you try to help me, something bad is going to happen to you too. And I... I don't want that. Please leave me, now! You will have a chance to get to the mansion... call for help..."

Fuji's eyes shone as he suddenly shook her roughly by her coat. She gasped.

"Just what are you saying, Harumi-chan? Do you know what will happen if I leave you here? We can make it, the two of us! Please don't talk anymore nonsense like that! Snap out of it!"

She heard those words clearly in spite of the storm. Did Fuji just yell at her? Did he just get angry? It was the first time she saw him angry. The fog lifted in front of her eyes. For the first time since Fuji woke her up, she blinked and looked around, really seeing what was going on. The snow was blinding. The wind was so fierce. And Fuji... Fuji was kneeling beside her, warming her up, looking at her.

Her body started shaking as if all her bones were going to fall off at once. She lifted a hand to her neck and felt the warmth of a scarf that wasn't there before.

"Fuji! This is..."

She looked up at his face, and saw him managing to smile back at her.

"You need it more than I do. Don't worry, we will be in a warm place soon. Come on, I will help you stand up."

Her eyes shook with gratitude and worry, all mixed together.

"But Fuji! You are sick!"

They were both walking again now, leaving deep tracks in the snow behind them, and Fuji was holding her close with one hand to keep her from falling.

"How... how do you know?" he sounded surprised, then added: "But don't worry, it's just a cold."

Harumi looked away. She couldn't tell him she was hiding in the ski hut, could she? She couldn't tell him that she had seen him taking his pills from that closet in there. Before she could answer, however, Fuji pointed his gloved hand in the direction of a small hut.

"Is it the hut that is near Amaya's castle?" she asked through trembling lips in a hopeful voice.

Fuji shook his head. "But we will go inside for awhile. This storm is too bad and the cable cars are not working anymore. The only way to get to the castle is to walk there, but for that, we need to take a look at your injury first."

Seeing the young girl's concern, he smiled his special smile.

"Don't worry, Harumi-chan, I promise that everything will be fine. Trust me."

Covering his face with one arm to protect himself from the icy wind, he didn't see Harumi's smile of gratitude behind her tears, tears that froze instantly after they rolled out of her eyes. Her hand's hold tightened on the young man's waist.

_Fuji... the only thing that I can believe in right now is this kindness that you are showing me. You will let me believe in it, neh?_

* * *

aaarg, I know this chapter took longer than usual! please dont kill me for it!

i mean, i have an excuse, yeah! the last few days i have been watching naruto, and it got be hooked. alright, poor excuse, but an excuse nonetheless!! yo, i havent forgotten about my fic, dont you ever worry about that, hihi!

Actually, i have no time to reply to all your reviews individually right now, but I give you my thanks from the bottom of my heart! You guys are awesome!! Keep up the good job!! Thanks for all your encouragement, appreciation and advice! This fic wouldnt be written if not for you guys! Now take care, mina! Ja ne!


	11. By a stormy night of winter

**By a stormy night of winter...**

With her ankle killing her more than ever, she leaned against him as they made their way to the hut and potential refuge.

Fuji forced the door open, let Harumi go inside and then closed it behind him with a sigh. The hut was empty, except for a fireplace, empty as well. There was no wood and no fire, but at least they would be protected from the storm that was raging outside.

Harumi chose a spot that was less dirty than the rest, and let herself fall down, her back against the wall. Her whole body was still shaking uncontrollably as she gasped for breath.

_I didn't know I could be this cold… I'd give anything to have a hot bath right now…_

Fuji panted an instant beside the door, before coming towards her and kneeling down. She looked up at him, tried to smile, but failed. Her ankle was just hurting too much.

"You should take off your coat and shake off the snow, or else it will become wet when the snow on it melts." He said softly.

"It's u… useless now, anyway." She said while uncovering the torn side of her coat.

Fuji's fingers touched the ripped place. "Now, why would you wear such a fragile coat today?" He asked with a sigh.

Harumi remembered that it was because of the way Fuji had looked at her when she had worn it. Of course, she couldn't tell him that. She looked down at her lap.

"Go.. gomen."

Fuji smiled. " It's alright. Don't worry about it now."

A gust of wind more violent than the others howled behind the door, making the whole construction crack and squeal. Fuji took off his own coat and wiped out the snow with one gloved hand. Then, he put it on Harumi's shoulders. Harumi raised disbelieving eyes towards him.

"No way, Fuji-san. You need it more than I do. Do I need to remind you that you are _already_ sick?" she exclaimed in a stronger voice.

"It's alright, like I said." He replied in a kind voice.

Somehow, Fuji's gesture was making her blood run faster, warming her up a little by the same occasion. However, her ankle shot yet more pain through her leg, making her wince.

Fuji noticed. He took off the blue hair band that he was wearing, which Harumi hadn't noticed up until now, and filled it with some snow from outside.

"We should do something about that ankle of yours. I will help you take off your boot. This might hurt a little, but please bear with me."

Harumi was just staring at him, her eyes full of confusion, surprise and happiness.

_Why is he being so nice? I don't understand. If what Naoki said was true, then I need to get a hold of myself and not see anything in his actions. But I wonder now if I should still believe in Naoki's words? I can't believe the Fuji in front of me could hurt anybody!_

She extended her left leg, wincing again at the pain, and let Fuji loosen the latches on her boot. When the pressure inside it decreased, she felt a little better.

"I will take it off, now, Harumi-chan."

He then pulled on the boot, shaking it a little to make her foot come out. Sudden strikes of pure pain washed through her leg, making her scream out. With both hands, she grabbed her knee and screamed again. The pain was almost unbearable. She felt like her entire leg was being ripped away.

Even when her foot was out, the pain didn't back off immediately. She moaned, still holding onto her left knee, tears running down her cheeks. Then, something cold pressed against her injured ankle, and the pain receded a little. With one glove, she wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and finally looked up. Fuji was smiling reassuringly at her, while tightening his hair band around her ankle.

"I'm... I'm sorry. It hurt quite a bit." Harumi uttered with a bittersweet smile.

"I am sorry about that, Harumi-chan."

"It's alright. You had to do it."

"Does it feel better now?"

Harumi sighed again. "Yeah, somehow."

She leaned back against the wall, exhausted. The ice in her hair had melted, and now it was incredibly wet. All her clothes were wet as well. She had forgotten the cold when Fuji was taking off her boot, but now it came back again, worse than ever. She shivered.

Fuji sat down beside her and loosened the latches on his own boots as well.

"Fuji-san…" she started in a hesitant voice.

"Hmm?"

"I'm… I'm sorry I dragged you into this mess. Please forgive me!" she pleaded.

Fuji smiled gently. "You don't need to apologize. I couldn't possibly just let you lie there and freeze to death, now could I?"

Harumi smiled too. "Yeah, I… thank you very much, Fuji-san! You know, for everything!"

She shivered again. Fuji sighed.

"How many times are you going to thank me or to apologize? - he scolded her gently. Instead, why don't you slide your arms into the sleeves of my coat? You will feel warmer that way."

Harumi realized that Fuji's coat was still just lying around her shoulders. She looked up at him and saw that his eyes were open. His blue pupils were enveloping her in a rather hypnotizing way. Her protests were cut down by the intensity of his gaze, and as she gave in to his will, she put on his coat rigidly. It brought her more warmth than she could have expected.

The coat also carried Fuji's smell, a sweet yet virile one. Harumi let herself immerse into his clothes, feeling closer to him than she had ever been.

The wind was still howling outside, its rage making the hut tremble like an old man.

Harumi and Fuji were both sitting against the wall that was facing the door. They stared at it for some minutes, both afraid that the wind would just blow it open and rush inside. But the old hut was more solid than they thought, and it never gave in.

"I think we will have to stay here for the night." Fuji muttered.

Harumi grimaced. She didn't like that thought at all.

"Are we still far from the castle?"

Fuji put his thumb and forefinger under his chin and thought about it. He finally answered with a shrug.

"Saa."

Harumi sweatdropped a little.

_How can he be so relaxed? I mean... here we are, lost in the mountains! A storm is threatening to freeze us to death, and we are confined in an old hut with a fireplace without a fire. Life can be amazing._

Harumi looked at him, ready to tell him part of her thoughts, just to brighten up the ambiance a little, when she saw him shaking from the cold.

"Fuji-san, please take your coat back. I'm warm now, I don't need it anymore."

Fuji rubbed his arms, and then smiled. "Please keep it for awhile, I insist."

"Demo…"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Harumi turned her eyes to the door once more. _How can I not worry about him? He's asking me something tough! Maybe I should just wait for him to fall asleep and then give it back to him secretly. And how did we end up here anyway? This storm is so sudden! The sky was crystal clear this morning._

Then she recalled Naoki saying something about how the weather could change quickly in the mountains.

Naoki.

She gritted her teeth at the memory of this name. She didn't want to think about her anymore. If she wanted to be herself again, she must get over those fatal words that she had heard from her friend.

She silently studied the boy sitting next to her in an abandoned hut in the middle of a snow storm. His eyes were closed once more, and his arms were wrapped around his knees. His hair was wet as well, and from time to time a drop of water would drip from one of his brown locks to the icy floor. She smiled slightly.

She moved closer to him until their shoulders touched. Despite what he had said, the young girl felt guilty of being in possession of his scarf and his coat when he was as cold as she was.

Fuji had saved her! If not for him, she would still be down that incline, freezing to death.

Fuji eyed her briefly when he felt her shoulder brushing against his. Harumi felt herself blush.

"Fu… Fuji-san, ano… how did you find me?" she staggered the first question that came into mind, just to dissipate her own embarrassment.

"Maa, I was skiing down the trail that was above the place you had fallen into, when I just saw you lying there face down on the snow. I stopped, and then called your name several times, but you seemed unconscious. Since I couldn't go down there with my skis, I took them off and then climbed down to where you were."

Harumi nodded slightly.

"I'm sorry I caused you this much trouble."

Fuji arched an eyebrow. "What did I say about constant apologies, Harumi-chan?"

Harumi repressed the urge of saying "gomen", and rather played a little with his coat.

A silence followed. Despite their situation, she noticed with some astonishment that being alone with Fuji provided her with inner peacefulness. It would be weird to say that she was enjoying her present situation since she was cold and injured, but she somehow she felt that way. Even the storm seemed less menacing when Fuji was sitting by her side, with his shoulder gently brushing against hers. He had saved her; he would protect her.

"The others must be worried, she thought out loud, I hope they are not searching for us in this storm."

"Even if they wanted to, I don't think that anyone could walk outside right now. Amaya seems like a reasonable girl, she would stop the others if they…"

He suddenly stopped speaking. Harumi turned slightly to look at him and felt her heart flinch when she saw him panting for breath, a hand to his chest. She sat up straighter, ignoring the little spasm of pain that her leg gave her.

"Fuji! Daijoubou?"

He didn't answer. She twisted the edge of the coat she was wearing, alarm gradually invading her purple eyes.

"F-Fuji?"

It looked like somehow he couldn't breath. He was inhaling sharply and his breath was hoarse. Harumi was scared now.

"F… Fuji… Come on, what's going on?"

She put a hand on his back and could sense the efforts he was making to draw in some air. She forced herself to think… think… THINK.

_Ok, he's sick. He has a cold. But why can't he breathe? Alright… in this case, you have to… _

She patted him strongly on the back with a shaky hand. Her heart was beating all over the place in her chest. She couldn't think rationally.

"Fuji… come on, breathe! This isn't funny…come on!" she mumbled between each pat.

Suddenly, he drew in a big gulp of air and started coughing. Somehow it got her even more worried. His coughing didn't seem like it would end, and he could barely breathe. She could sense his body shaking under her hand.

_Oh my God. Water. He needs water. But there is no water. Maybe the snow? Should I leave him and go outside? Oh my God, what do I do?_

While her brain emitted those thoughts, her eyes looked all around them, searching for something that could be of any use to him. Her eyes finally stopped on the door as she half hoped that someone would just come in and help her. Help him! But they were alone, and she was the only one who could do something.

"Fuji! Hang in there... please... " she begged in a small voice.

Fuji was covering his mouth with his hand as he coughed.

_Oh crap, what do I do? What do I do? No way… why is this happening now? And there is nothing that I can do. I can't bear this... I can't bear this anymore. _

How much time had passed since his coughing fit started? She didn't know. Suppressing the urge to cry, she quickly took off her coat, his coat, and wrapped it around his body.

"Alright, you will be warm soon! Hang in there, Fuji! Everything is going to be fine. Just calm down, and breathe normally." She murmured in a small voice.

She took off her scarf as well and frantically wrapped it around his neck. All she knew is that she had to make him warm, even if that meant giving up on all her clothes and stripping herself naked.

"Come on Fuji, if you die on me now I will never forgive you!" She whispered to herself desperately as she held him close to her own body and laid one hand on his chest, trying to give him back some of the warmth that he had been deprived of.

She had read somewhere, (she didn't remember where), that the warmth of a human body was the best way to warm another person up. She had to believe that it was true.

She could feel him shaking against her as he coughed, and closed her eyes and prayed that he would be alright. After an uncertain amount of time, she finally felt him easing down a little.

_Is it over? Please... God... make him stop hurting. _

Her hand was still lying on top of his chest ; her eyes were wide open as she gradually felt his breathing becoming less painful. Her heart gradually settled down as well.

She finally dared to look at his face, concern still lingering in her purple eyes. Fuji's lips curved up into a tentative smile to reassure her.

"Are you... feeling alright?" She asked in a still shaky voice.

"Ah... da... daijoubou. It's… nothing." He finally replied in a hoarse voice after he gulped.

"It's definitely _something_!" She replied, tears of relief invading her eyes.

_Why am I crying, dammit? He's alright now. He's..._

She pressed her face against his shoulder and gripped his coat. "The next time you lend me your coat when you are sick, I'm gonna kick your ass, you baka! Fuji, you baka!"

Fuji looked down at the girl who was holding onto him, keeping him warm. He could feel the top of her head rubbing gently against his chin. He knew she was crying. Did he make her cry? His eyes opened up a little and a feeling, foreign to himself, revealed itself in his blue orbs.

His hand rose unconsciously towards her shoulder, but stopped when it was about to reach her. He blinked, looked at the top of her head covered with locks of honey coloured hair, as he seemed to awaken from a dream. His hand fell down to the floor once more.

They stayed silent for a little while, Harumi's hand still on his chest from where she could feel the rising and falling of his chest. That regular movement reassured her.

Fuji closed his eyes for awhile, trying to regain his strength. When the pain in his lungs subsided somehow, he opened them again. The young girl was still huddled against his side, with her face buried in his shoulder.

"Arigatou neh, Harumi-chan." He said in a slightly less hoarse voice.

When the young girl didn't reply, he gently touched her shoulder. Still, he got no reaction.

"Harumi-chan?"

To his surprise, he realized that she was asleep. Her cheeks still bore the marks of the tears she had shed. Fuji looked at her peaceful face.

His hand raised three inches from his lap. Hesitation crossed his eyes. Then, slowly, he wiped away her tears with his thumb.

"Hontouni arigatou neh, Harumi-chan."

* * *

The sound of heavy footsteps was what woke her up the next morning. For a moment, she looked at her surroundings, disorientated, asking herself why on earth she was sleeping on the floor of a small wooden hut. Then, the events of the previous night came back to mind. 

Sitting up briskly, since she was sleeping lying on the ground, she looked next to her and saw that Fuji was already up. She watched as he opened the door and peeked outside.

The sun was shining widely, and everything was coated under a thick coat of pure white snow. The trees have lost their forms, and looked like small and thin hills of ice.

The trail they had made while coming to the hut had been long erased by the storm. Harumi looked down at her ankle with Fuji's hair band still wrapped around it, and slowly touched it with one finger. It was cold and numb. She didn't feel any pain, but she was also positive that she couldn't move it either.

She unrolled the hair band and put it in her pocket. She reached for her ski boot and painfully put it on again. Her other foot was stiffened, for having stayed in the compressed boot all night.

With the help of the wall, she stood up on one foot. Fuji chose that moment to return to her side. With his usual smile, he only said:

"Ohayo, Harumi-chan. Did you sleep well?"

His smile betrayed nothing of what had happened the previous night. "As well as I could considering the situation." She mumbled.Then : "Are you feeling alright?"

"Ah, as good as new." Harumi threw him a sharp glance, judging for herself if he looked as healthy as he said he was. To her relief, he truly seemed recovered from his coughing fit. Fuji turned to face the outside.

"Maa, good news for today. The storm has stopped. Now, the only thing left to do is to find our way home." He said in a cheerful tone.

"Aren't you still sick? Will it be alright?"

"We are both not that "alright", but staying here will be even less alright." He replied with a smile.

She looked at him grumpily. If he had the spirits for teasing her, then it meant that he wasn't feeling all that bad. Besides, he got to sleep with his coat on, right? Right now, she was worried that she would be the one to end up with some unknown illness if her little adventure persisted.

So, Harumi put on her torn and still humid coat, and prepared herself mentally to set out. There was no wind outside, the sun was bright, but not warm, and the layer of snow was thick.

They left the hut behind them as Fuji looked around, trying to find their position. Soon, he pointed towards a mountain peak and said:

"That is the highest peak around here, so Amaya's mansion ought to be in that direction. It's not that far, come on."

Harumi, with one arm around his waist, started to limp beside him.

Halfway there, when the cable cars were already in sight, they suddenly heard screams and calls coming from ahead of them. Since Fuji couldn't raise his voice, Harumi drew a deep breath and then yelled:

"Ooooooooi!!! We are heeeere!!"

Her scream echoed through the mountains. One minute later, they saw dark little figures skiing towards them. Then, Momo, Oishi, Tezuka, Chiharu and Amaya stopped before them in a cloud of snow.

"Fuji! Harumi! You are both safe, thank God!"

"Where have you been? Everyone was worried sick about you!"

"Are you hurt? We have medicine!"

"Come on now! Let's go back to the castle and get you something warm to eat!"

Words flew and taps to the shoulder and hugs flowed around them from everywhere. Harumi smiled and tried to answer to their questions, feeling more relieved than ever to see these familiar faces once more.

Only Momoshiro was staring at them with narrowed eyes. He approached them discreetly from behind and whispered:

"Yo! You've been together for the whole night… alone! What happened?"

Harumi's face flushed red.

"Baka! We have been missing for 24 hours and the only thing on your mind is some perverted scene?"

Momo didn't back off.

"Come on! Didn't you sleep huddled together to be warm? Like you are now?" A wide grin formed on his face.

Harumi was at a loss for words, as her being pressed against Fuji washed over her mind. Fuji raised his hands before him and sweatdropped.

"Harumi-chan is hurt."

Then, without letting anyone else see, his eyes opened slightly as he stared at Momo:

"That's all there is to it." He finished in a neutral tone.

Momo's face became pale as he finally backed off. "S-scary!"

Amaya came and discharged Fuji of Harumi, who wasn't all that happy about it, but couldn't say anything about it either. As Amaya supported her to the mansion, she told her about her misadventure and how everything ended up the way it did.

Amaya's arm closed affectionately around her waist as she said:

"I'm glad you are alright! Last night, I couldn't sleep thinking about you guys. I figured that if Fuji was with you, then at least you wouldn't die, but still."

She sighed.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for everything."

"Don't be!"

After some minutes, she pursued. "But still, I'm amazed that I don't have white hair after a night like that."

They both laughed.

When they arrived at the mansion, they were greeted by the rest of the group. Eiji ran towards them, half slipping, half running on the new layer of snow.

"Hoooooi! Harumi! Fujiko! You are back!"

Harumi was never so happy to see him.

"Yo, Eiji!" she screamed back. She made a step towards him, but because of her injured ankle, almost lost her balance.

Eiji caught her and gave her a big hug. "We were worried about you, nya!"

Then he went to his friend Fuji and hugged him as well.

"Stop with the hugs, Kikumaru, Mai intervened. Bring them inside, make them take a bath, eat something warm, and then go to bed."

"Geez, Mai-san sounds like my mom!" Harumi whispered into Amaya's ear, making her friend giggle.

When they finally passed the main doors, with everyone around them, Harumi saw Naoki standing back and looking at her with an expression she couldn't decipher. When she passed beside her, the two girls exchanged a meaningful look, but didn't speak to each other.

When they were on their way upstairs, Fuji started coughing again. Harumi turned back and said, with worry in her eyes:

"Please tend to Fuji-san first! He's sick."

"You are hurt too, Harumi! – Amaya said – come on, you should change your clothes. And what happened to your coat? It was a new one, wasn't it?"

"Don't even mention it – she sighed – when we get back to Tokyo, I'm gonna kill that shop owner for selling me this cheap bastard!"

Harumi finally took off all her wet clothes and underwear, and put on new ones. Since it was quite warm in the mansion, she only put on a shirt, a sweater and a pair of jeans. She dried her wet hair and combed it thoughtfully in front of the mirror. Amaya brought in some special ointment and applied it to Harumi's swelled ankle. Then, she ordered one of the servants to bring Harumi a crutch.

"Amaya! You definitely have everything in this house!"

Amaya blushed slightly. "So it seems."

After a silent pause, during which Amaya was gently rubbing her friend's ankle, she spoke up softly:

"So, how was it with Fuji?"

Harumi narrowed her eyes with suspicion, trying to detect any signs of teasing in her friend's voice, but there were none. Amaya lifted her curious green eyes towards Harumi, who sighed.

"Well, what can I say? He saved my life. I fell from the top of a small cliff and landed in a region of undergrowth. I was freezing to death when he found me. He helped me walk till we reached a small abandoned hut, and ano… he even lent me his coat and scarf, even though he was sick."

She stared thoughtfully at the floor, and then spoke up again.

"If his condition worsens because of this… I don't know what I would do. I guess feeling guilty won't help at all."

Amaya smiled at her. "Fuji is gentle by nature. I'm sure he felt like he had to do everything he did, because that's just who he is."

Harumi was startled by Amaya's words. For some reason, when she heard them, the scene with Naoki came back to mind. She turned the following words twice in her mouth before she spoke them:

"Ano… Amaya, I have a question."

"Yes?"

"So, eto, you have known Fuji for a long time, right?"

"Well, if by a long time you mean since childhood, then no. I've known since first year only."

"Yeah, well compared to one month, that's a long time."

Amaya finished applying the ointment, and started to unroll a roll of bandages.

"So? What is your point?" she asked.

"Well, hum, this may seem strange but… did Fuji ever have any girlfriends?"

She blushed furiously when the words came out, and had to look away for awhile. Amaya was startled for a moment, but then a happy smile came to her face.

"So, I take it that you like him?"

"…"

"Well, to answer your question, no he hasn't had any, to my knowledge anyway. But for this sort of things, you better ask Naoki."

"What? Why?"

Amaya looked up at the tone of her voice. Harumi forced her heart to slow down a bit.

"Why Naoki?" she asked more gently.

"In second year, Naoki had a friend who liked Fuji a lot. I don't know if they ended up having a date or something, but anyway, it didn't work. For the details, you better ask her."

Harumi lied down on the bed. With dreamy eyes, she stared at the ceiling. _So maybe what happened back then was that her friend got hurt by Fuji. That should explain why Naoki is warning me against him._

Amaya wrapped the bandage around her ankle.

"Ok, all done!"

"Don't you find it strange that Fuji hasn't had any girlfriends?" she suddenly asked.

"Saa, a lot of people are still single at our school."

"Yeah… BUT, I mean, they are not Fuji!"

Amaya laughed a little. "So?"

Harumi sat up quite roughly. When her purple eyes locked with Amaya's green ones, her friend sweatdropped a little. Harumi said fiercely:

"I mean… he's so nice with people, and his LOOKS…how could anyone resist that hair… those eyes???"

She forced herself to stop.

Amaya thought about it. "Yes, I see where you are getting at. But he's probably waiting for the right girl, and that may just be you, Harumi!"

Harumi blushed until she felt her face was on fire. Amaya laughed heartily at this sight.

"W… what makes you say that?"

"Well, he saved your life, right? Even if he's super nice, he wouldn't risk his own life to save someone he doesn't care about."

"Y… you think so?"

"Of course!"

"But…"

"Ok, what is this all about, Harumi? Why all these questions all of a sudden? You like him, right?"

Harumi didn't want to lie to her best friend.

"Well, sort of… yeah."

"Then what's this all about?"

"But… he probably doesn't like me back…" she mumbled.

Amaya put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's normal to have your doubts, but you will never know if you don't tell him your feelings first. Fuji can be pretty sadistic sometimes, but I get a feeling that he's pretty clueless when it comes to… this kind of stuff."

Harumi's eyes sparkled for a moment.

"Yeah… maybe that's why! So… you are saying that I should tell him?"

She was scared at this perspective.

"Not right away, silly! But when you feel the time is right. Until then, be his friend, someone he can count on. In this kind of relationships, being a friend comes first. Always."

Harumi looked at her, and sighed.

"When I look at Oishi and you, it all seems pretty simple. But it's so hard to make the first move!"

"I know what you mean! Oishi is a super shy guy. I swear that before we started dating, he was driving me nuts because he wouldn't leave me any openings for me to tell him how I felt. He was always running away, it seemed. But now, when I ask him if he regrets it… well, he says it's the best thing that has ever happened to him."

Her eyes shone with tenderness when she spoke the last words. Harumi smiled.

"I see."

She got up.

"Thanks a lot, Amaya! We should go downstairs, now."

Harumi's heart felt a little lighter. Amaya and Naoki had given her two different views on Fuji. She guessed that she had to see for herself which one was the right one.

* * *

Alright!! one more done!!! Hope you liked it!!! Did you notice? my update pace has fallen to one update per week. well, its not dramatic, but its what we call the regular pace at ff, right? some people take months before updating! anyway, enough of randomness!!! here are replies to ur reviews! 

**fanXforever:** thanks a lot! it is indeed sweet:p

**JayleeJ:** hum, ok, it says you reviewed for chapter one, but i guess your comment was for chapter 10? yeah, she can be so damn proud sometimes, but what scene what are referring to, exactly? anyway, thanks for your review!!! hope you liked this one!

**Anime 300:** yes, how will this work out, indeed? even I am not sure, yet. But i know about the general direction. i bet you will all be surprised! anyways, keep reading!! and thanks for the review!

**singer in the wind:** yo! whats up! thanks for the new review! i will keep it up, dont worry about that, hihi:p

**Rita:** thank you VERY much. i hope this chapter didnt take all that long. i tried my best to update it as soon as i could. lol, im so happy you really like this story. like i said before, the pace from now on might be once a week, so i promise to keep my updates within that range! thanks again, and arigatou for reading!

**Morggie85:** yeah, its SuperFuji to the rescue LOL. if i was at Harumi's place, i would play dead and let him carry me in his arms, LOL. ok, just kidding... maybe.

**crazy bubbling blonde:** yeah, Fuji is so nice, aint he? i wish i had a boyfriend like him, hehe.

**darkheart1992:** here you go, then:p

**unchangingxp:** alright!! here you go!! new chapter! i hope you liked it!

Ok, so one more thing! you know these Prince of tennis characters arent mine. so if you think any of them is a little bit out of character (especially Fuji), then please tell me, alright? arigatou minna!


	12. Fake bears, cakes and phobias

**Fake bears, cakes and phobias**

Amaya and Harumi slowly went downstairs to the fireplace room where their friends were gathered, all talking animatedly among themselves. When Harumi entered the room, they all surrounded her, made her sit down, brought her a cup of hot tea and encouraged her to tell them what happened.

Harumi was so happy to be around her friends once more. She didn't make them ask her a second time, and told them everything that happened.

"Thinking back, she said, it's all that bear's fault. It was the one that made me definitely lose control of my skis."

"I don't get it, nya, how can there be bears in here? This is a secure area, isn't it?" Eiji asked while scratching his head.

The other people's eyes narrowed, and they all turned to a sweating Momoshiro. However, Aika was faster than everyone else. She jumped up and put her forearm in front of Momo's throat, threatening to strangle him at any false move. Momo froze.

"It… It was just a joke… kidding… just kidding… arg!"

Aika put on more pressure. "That wasn't very intelligent, you pig head!"

Chiharu shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, we all saw him in that stupid costume!"

"Co… costume?" staggered Harumi. "So… he was the one? It was a fake bear? I fell down a cliff because of a fake bear???"

Her purple eyes were burning now. Momo backed off. "It was just to scare you guys a little, nothing more, hehehe… ugh, Harumi? What are you doing? Haru…

Harumi raised her crutch to all its length and then let it fall roughly on Momo's head, knocking him KO. As he fell to the floor, Aika finally released him. "Now, you got what you deserved, baka!"

"But, Harumi, what were you doing down that run in the first place?" Mai asked suspiciously. "It was the run for people advanced in skiing, and I believe you are a beginner?"

Harumi sighed.

"I got sidetracked. I glided through undergrowth and ended up on a different run. I didn't know it was a different one at the moment because I was more focused on not breaking all my limbs on some boulder."

Mai sighed. "You girls are going to end up killing me."

Chiharu and Naoki giggled. Harumi then looked around. "Neh, where is Fuji? Is he feeling better, at least?"

"Well, Tezuka buchou ordered him to go to bed. He also asked one of the servants to bring him medicine, and then he went into the room for a word with Fuji, or so I heard." Naoko answered.

"You were eavesdropping." Chiharu stated in a plain voice.

"No, I just happened to pass by." Naoko defended herself.

"Which means the same thing as eavesdropping." Chiharu uttered while rolling her eyes.

"Wait, Harumi interrupted, a word with Fuji? He isn't going to scold him, is he? Because I mean, he's completely blameless. Is there is one person that is at fault here, it has to be me..."

"Relax, Haru, it's probably more a word as a friend. Tezuka and Fuji were close friends in first year."

Right at that moment, Tezuka came back, his stern glance shining behind his glasses. Everyone fell silent.

"Fuji is fine. He is resting now." He declared after some time.

There was a collective sigh of relief. Tezuka's stare wiped the room and stopped on Harumi, who lowered her eyes. She was ready for some real scolding, but it never came.

"I see that everyone here is fine as well. This is the essential part. For today, don't overdo it. For those who feel like skiing, you can go. For those who want to rest, you can stay here at the mansion. No one is to use the hard ski run today, since it is too dangerous. There is too much snow and ice. I don't care if your level of ski permits you to make it through, but let me state one thing clearly: no one is to approach that run. Understood?"

"Hai, Tezuka Buchou." They all said, Echizen, Kaidoh and Momo with less enthusiasm than the others.

Those three were also the first ones to go out.

"This is troublesome, it sure is…" Momo mumbled.

"Fssshhh… urusei! Why do you always have to complain, baka?"

"Look who's speaking, Mamushi? I'm sure deep down you are issuing words that would even shock your mama! Look, moron, it doesn't matter if we can only use the intermediate run, I will crush you anyway!"

"Fsshhh!! Did you just insult my mom? I will beat that cocky behaviour out of your body!"

"Nani? You are implying you can beat me? Alright, let's bet on that! But let me tell ya something: you will end up poor, yes you will!"

"Bring it on! Unless you will back off at the last minute, like you always do…"

Their voices faded a little when they passed the door. Then, Echizen's bored voice rose above theirs.

"You are both too loud, senpais."

Harumi sighed when they disappeared. Aika stood up. "I will go and make sure that that Momo-baka won't do anything stupid. When he's with Kaidoh, he's so reckless."

She then ran in the tracks of the three boys.

"If Aika is going, things are going to get nasty! I better think of a plan and make sure they all return in one piece." Naoki said while leaving, as well.

"Oh, wait up, nee-chan!" cried Naoko as she ran after her.

Inui also left, notebook in hand, glasses shining. He didn't say anything, but it was obvious that he left to collect data again. Since Oishi was worried about everyone, he left also. Amaya looked in his direction, and then looked at Harumi, visibly torn between the two.

Harumi patted her on the shoulder with a smile. "Go with him, Amaya. It will get boring in the mansion anyway. Besides, I know you want to be with him."

"Oh, thanks Harumi! I will go, then! See you later!"

She ran after Oishi and disappeared as well. Tezuka and Mai looked at the remaining people in the fireplace room: Harumi, Eiji, Chiharu and Takasan.

"So, are you staying?" Mai asked.

"I can't ski with only one leg, now can I?" Harumi stated.

"Well… my body hurts from yesterday, nya. I will call it a break for now!" Eiji said with a grin.

Mai sighed. "It hurts already? You weren't even trying."

"Hoi! That's not fair! I tried my very best!"

Mai eyed him with a sigh. "Alright. Stay here for now, then. What about you, Chiharu?"

Chiharu yawned. "Sorry guys, but I gotta call Atobe. It's been three days since I haven't heard his noble voice. I will catch up with the others later."

She said that and then stood up to leave the room. Mai looked at her hopelessly.

"Takasan, why don't you come?" Tezuka asked.

"Well… I mean… I'm not sure… with Harumi-chan and Fuji hurt, maybe they will need me to…"

Eiji slipped a racket in his hands. "Take this, nya."

"Ho? BURNING!! Yes, you can count me in, BABY! I will show them some INTENSE skiing! I will burn down the snow with my POWER!"

He zoomed out of the room in a cloud of dust, his red aura lingering a moment in the room before fading away.

Tezuka looked at Harumi and Eiji. "You two, don't do anything foolish and don't get careless. Let's go, Mai-san."

Mai nodded. They left the room together.

Harumi lied down more comfortably on the soft cushions of the large sofa. Eiji was sitting in front of her, on another cushion lying on the floor, and he had an inquiring look on his face.

"What?" she finally asked.

"What are we going to do?"

"About what?"

"I mean, what are we going to do here?"

Harumi sighed, and smiled slightly. "Eiji, you can go and ski if you want. You don't have to stay here with me and get bored."

Eiji smiled back and waved a finger in front of her face. "I don't want to go, nya! I think I don't like skiing very much. Or maybe it's because Mai-san is so harsh with me…" He put on his sad face.

"Mai Buchou is like that to everyone. She is harsh but you will improve with her, that's guaranteed. Just try harder, Eiji. Don't give up so fast, geez."

Eiji raised an eyebrow. "You are one to talk! Look at what happened to you when you didn't give up quick enough!"

Harumi rubbed her ankle unconsciously. "This was different. I was careless and not that motivated. If I were, this would never have happened."

"Don't act cool now!" Eiji lied down on the floor, his arms crossed under his head.

Harumi watched him stare at the ceiling, and giggled. "I'm kidding, Eiji. And you are right. I gave up on skiing the instant I fell down that cliff. Normally, I don't like to give up that easily, but… things happen. Maybe I will try it again sometime, but right now, I'm just… so tired." She finished while yawning.

"You didn't get any sleep last night? And I thought that you would sleep well, you know, with Fujiko being close by and everything." He flashed her with his teasing grin.

Harumi almost fell off the sofa. "Geez, everyone is talking about _that_! Nothing happened, ok? I was sleeping on a dirty floor, freaking dying of cold and worry. And Fuji was freaking sick beside me, ok?"

"Ano… don't get mad, Harumi! You are scaring me!"

The young girl pushed her hair behind her shoulder. "Relax, that was the last time. I'm too tired to get mad at people anymore.

Eiji got up in one fluid motion, by jumping over his head and landing on his hands, and then on his feet. "Hop, and hop!"

Harumi opened one purple eye. "I see that you still have energy to burn, don't you?" She smiled an indulgent smile. "Then can you do me a favor? Put some more wood in the hearth and feed the fire, will you?"

"Okay!"

Harumi closed her eyes and listened as Eiji took a pile of wood from beside the fireplace and started to lie them down carefully in the hearth for them to burn. Soon, a new wave of heat wiped the cozy room.

"Thanks Eiji, you are a good friend." She mumbled in a sleepy voice.

Eiji turned back to look at her and smiled with flashy teeth. When he returned to her place, he saw that she was already asleep. He looked at her closely, blinking, then a cat-like grin formed on his face. He reached for a blanket and stretched it out and let it fall on her shoulders.

Then he sat down again and looked around, bored.

* * *

When Harumi woke up, she was a little disorientated as to where she was. She looked around and saw a dimly lit room with an almost dying fire in a marble mantelpiece. She looked around for Eiji, but he was nowhere to be seen. 

She stirred and stretched like a cat, and then sat up. Rubbing her eyes, her hand grabbed her crutch unconsciously as she pulled herself on a standing position.

Her ankle stung a little, but she ignored it. She raised her wrist to face level and read that it was already 5 pm. So she had slept for half the day. Judging by the silence in the mansion, the others haven't returned yet from their skiing.

However, the sun was setting already, and everything was being slowly eaten by the evening shadows. She walked slowly to a large windowpane and stared outside, at the snowy slopes of the mountain gliding downwards.

_I wonder where Eiji has gone to. Maybe he got bored and decided to go and ski. _

She yawned. Her body was feeling lethargic.

_I wonder if Fuji is doing alright. Maybe I should go and check on him._

She wasn't really worried, since Tezuka had said that he would be fine. But after Fuji took care of her when she needed it the most, she felt that now was the time to return the favor, if she could.

She went to the kitchen and looked around with wide eyes. She had never seen such a clean and sparkling place. Everything was at it's place, and no trace of dust nor trash could be found. The only thing out of the ordinary was a chocolate cake posed on the kitchen table, near the stove.

She hopped near it and with one finger tasted the chocolate cream. Her eyes shook with amazement.

"Hm… this is so good! I wonder why it is here? Maybe the servants made it for when the others are going to come back."

She wanted to stay and eat a piece of the cake, but decided to visit her friend first. If he was feeling well, maybe she could bring him some cake as well? This thought made her blush a little. Being able to take care of Fuji was something that made her heart race a little faster. She felt like she could be useful to him, for once.

She slowly went up the stairs, her footsteps and the sounds of the crutch muffled by the thick brown carpet. She finally reached the second floor and hopped past the individual bedrooms until she reached the boys' common bedroom.

She peered inside. All the beds were empty, no one was there.

_Strange. Maybe Fuji felt better and got up? Maybe he even went out? No, no it can't be. He's still too sick for that, and I believe he's got a minimum of common sense. Then, where is he? Ok, don't tell me I'm alone in this freaking mansion?_

A shiver of fear suddenly ran through her. She didn't like to be alone in such big places. It made her feel… exposed, for some reason.

The corridor she was standing in was filled with moving shadows. Somehow, she felt she was being watched. She shook her head, trying to get rid of these stupid thoughts. Just when she was about to turn around and go downstairs, something glittered before her, in the dark. She gripped her crutch tighter, eyes watching the darkness.

Then, something furry ruffled through her legs. She felt gooseflesh invading her forearms as she let out a scream. Raising her crutch like a weapon, she looked down, only to stare into two green and shining eyeballs.

She started to breathe again when she saw it was no one else than the orange cat. It looked up to her, cocking its head a little, as if wondering what she was up to. Then, it stretched its front legs and trotted away. Harumi watched it leave with relief.

In front of the boys' bedroom was another door leading to a room that she had never been in before. The door was left ajar. She was sure someone was in there.

_Ok, I was silly to think there are ghosts in this house. No one is in that room. Just forget it and go look for Fuji._

However, her body moved of its own as she pushed open the door and hopped inside. It was a dark room. The only window was hidden behind maple curtains. The evening shadows shifted and danced on a large table erected at the center, surrounded by shelves of books.

"It's a library." She muttered.

A single figure was sitting at the end of the table, under the dim light of a nearby lamp. The person's red hair was shining feebly under the stern light.

_Chiharu?_ She wondered for a moment. _No, it's Eiji! _

_But… what would Eiji be doing in a place like this_?

She approached him silently from behind and saw that he was asleep on a thick-looking book.

"Hum… I wonder why is he sleeping in a place like this? And what could he be reading?"

She stretched a hand to touch the book, but at that moment Eiji opened his eyes. He sat up straight with a jerk and looked around him vividly. "Wha…? Where am I? Oh, Harumi!"

Harumi crossed her arms. "What are you doing here, Eiji?"

"Oh, ano… well, I was reading this book and… oh, right!" He seemed to remember his presence here as he tapped one fist to his palm. "I was reading this recipe book!"

Harumi bent over his shoulder to stare at the cover, which read: "A hundred and one recipes for Japanese cooking."

"Are you planning on becoming a cook?" she asked teasingly.

Eiji scratched his head. "Not really. It's more like a hobby when I have nothing to do, see? I was actually looking for a good recipe for cakes.

"Cakes?" Her eyes widened. "Eiji, don't tell that the chocolate cake downstairs…"

"Oh, that one, yes I made it. For Fujiko and for you."

Harumi's smile widened. "It was really really good!"

Eiji blushed. "Oh, arigatou Harumi!" He scrubbed his neck shyly.

"So why are you looking for another recipe?"

"I wanted to make two cakes, nya, since I had a lot of time to spare. But, I guess I fell asleep."

Harumi giggled. "Kawaii!" she whispered to herself.

"Nya? What did you say?"

"Nothing, nothing!" She took his hand. "Come on, let's go look for Fuji."

"Demo... the cake!"

"It doesn't matter! One is enough! Besides, it's really good, so even if you make a second one and ask me to pick, I wouldn't be able to!"

Eiji showed her his cat-like grin. "Who says you will have to choose? You could have both!"

"Then I will eat so much that I will become fat, so it's better to keep things under control! But anyway, help me look for Fuji first!"

She pulled him up from his chair and out of the room. The truth was that she didn't want to look for Fuji alone in this huge and deserted mansion.

"Oi,Harumi, wait…"

"It's alright, Eiji."

The door shut close behind them.

"So, where could he be?" Harumi asked once they were back in the corridor.

"Maybe one of the individual bedrooms? I think Buchou wanted him to get some rest away from… us." He laughed nervously.

Harumi smirked. "That makes sense!"

They checked the room one by one, and finally, in the one near the stairs, they found him. Harumi pushed open the door just enough to let them in. She turned around and put a finger on her lips to signal for Eiji to be quiet. Eiji gave her a thumbs up.

The room was spacious. The only window was covered by a white curtain. There was a pretty large bed at one corner of the room, beside a night table on which were put several bottles of medicine and one glass of water, still full.

Fuji was buried beneath what seemed like several layers of blankets, and he was soundly asleep.

Harumi and Eiji approached, and then Eiji helped her sit down on the unique chair that was beside the bed. The sun had long ago set behind the mountain peaks, and now everything was plunged into shadows.

"Should we… turn on the lights?" Eiji whispered.

"Better not, or else he will wake up."

The only thing of Fuji that was outside the blankets were his face and his left arm. Eiji watched as Harumi looked at the sleeping boy. There was such tenderness in her purple eyes that he felt he was witnessing something intimate. He looked away, blushing.

He also felt something in the brink of his stomach, a feeling he couldn't identify. Harumi put Fuji's arm under the blanket, careful not to wake him up. Then, she pushed away a lock of brown hair that was lying on his eyes. As she touched his forehead, she suddenly frowned.

"Eiji, she said, I think he has a fever." There was worry in her voice.

"Really, nya?" Eiji approached and touched his friend's forehead as well. "I think you are right!"

Harumi scanned the different sorts of medicine, but since she didn't understand any of that, she asked Eiji about it. The redhead didn't understand any of that either.

"I will go and ask someone for help, nya."

Harumi nodded. Eiji walked out quietly, gently closing the door behind him. Harumi turned her eyes on Fuji once more. The latter shifted underneath his blankets and frowned.

"Fuji-san?" she called out softly. "Are you awake?"

She saw him open his eyes and look at her. "Ha… Harumi-chan?" And then he coughed.

"Don't talk too much." She smiled. "Here, have some water."

She helped him sit up a little and then handed him the glass of water. Fuji drank it slowly.

He lied down again and handed the empty glass to Harumi. When the girl took it, their fingers brushed together for an instant. Harumi blushed. For a moment, they remained silent, the only thing loud in Harumi's ears being the savage pounding of her heart.

"Harumi-chan, how is your ankle?"

"Ah, da… daijoubou. You should worry more about yourself right now."

Fuji closed his eyes. "I'm glad."

He shivered a little as he went back under the covers. Eiji chose that moment to come back with a young woman who looked like a nurse, and who was a nurse, for that matter. She was wearing a white apron and her hair was up in a bun. In her hands were two bottles of pills. Eiji was trailing behind her, carrying a tub filled with cold water, while a towel was hanging from his forearm.

The nurse declared that her name was Clara, before touching Fuji's forehead and giving him a thermometer, telling him to stick it under his arm. While he was doing so, she took out two orange pills from the plastic bottle and then made him swallow them with the help of another glass of water.

Her moves were fluent and professional. Harumi couldn't help but to feel relieved that she was around. Clara seemed to read her thoughts as she turned towards her. She had gentle features and a reassuring smile.

"Please make sure he takes these pills every five hours."

"Alright." Harumi said.

After three more minutes, the nurse took out the thermometer and looked at it under the light that Eiji had just turned on.

"He definitely has a fever. 38.5 degrees."

Harumi gasped. It didn't sound very encouraging.

"What? That's a pretty high fever. Are you sure he is going to be alright?" She asked fiercely.

"Hmmm, you are right, it could get worse during the night. So, there's probably one more thing I could do for him."

Clara took a small first aid kit that she had been carrying around and opened it. She put on white plastic gloves and rummaged inside the kit to finally come up with a small bottle of yellow liquid.

"What's… that?" Eiji asked from behind, not looking very reassured.

He got his answer when Clara also put her hands on a needle.

"NANI?????" Harumi and Eiji both screamed while feeling their hair stand up straight on their heads.

Fuji raised his head to see what was going on. Clara looked at both of them, dumbfounded.

"I will inoculate Fuji-san. Why are you two looking so pale? Did you come down with something as well? Let me see if I have other needles..."

Harumi stood up violently, forgetting to catch her crutch, and would have landed face first on the floor if not for Eiji's support. The redhead laughed nervously.

"We are fine, nya! Super health, no worries."

Clara shrugged. "If you are sure, then please wait in silence. We have a patient here, after all."

The patient in question wasn't looking very good. Fuji's eyes were open as he followed the nurse's movements when she sucked some of the yellow liquid into the needle and then pressed on the piston, making some of the liquid fly out.

She sat down on the chair beside his bed. Harumi had a phobia of needles. It was just too awful for her to watch, even though she wasn't actually the one being inoculated. Eiji apparently felt the same way, as he was squeezing her arm and silently issuing a prayer to all the gods he knew.

"Now, give me your arm, Fuji-san." She pleaded with a smile.

"Ah." The young boy managed to smile innocently. "Is it really necessary, Clara-san?"

However, inside, he was freaking out as well.

"If you want to get better, yes."

She didn't wait for a reply and took his arm from under the blanket. She rolled up the sleeve and then found the right spot by popping his skin with two fingers. Then, she rubbed the spot with something that felt cold, and finally, she took the needle.

Harumi and Eiji gulped.

Harumi watched in disbelief as the hateful object pierced his skin. She was stressing out for him. She could almost feel his discomfort as the piece of metal went into his body. Fuji shivered and gritted his teeth. Eiji hugged his friend and hid his face against her shoulder, like a little kid.

"There, all done!"

When Harumi opened her eyes again, she saw nurse Clara throwing the used needle in the garbage. On Fuji's arm, there was now a brown brand-aid. Fuji lied down again, exhausted.

She wanted to go to him, but Eiji was still clinging to her.

"Ano… Eiji, it's over, you know?"

"Really? Nya?" Carefully, he threw a glance at his friend, and seeing no sight of the needle, finally relaxed and stood straight. "I'm glad, nya!"

"It seems like there is nothing else we can do. Let him sleep for the night. Hopefully, he will feel better tomorrow morning. If not, I think another inoculation would definitely help him out."

"He will feel better!" Harumi and Eiji both screamed in Fuji's place, for their friend's voice wasn't strong enough to scream at that moment.

Nurse Clara smiled. "Don't forget about the pills then, Harumi-chan!"

She left the room. Harumi hopped to the chair and let herself fall on it. Eiji soaked the towel in the tub of water he had brought, and put it on Fuji's forehead.

"Arigatou, Harumi-chan, Eiji." Fuji said with eyes closed.

"Was it painful?" Eiji asked in a small voice.

There was silence, then:

"Terrible!" Fuji even opened his eyes to add some dramatic effect to his single word.

Harumi and Eiji both touched his hand in sympathy. After some more minutes, Fuji let out a sigh and fell asleep again.

After making sure Fuji was warm and that the towel was cool enough, Harumi threw a glance at Eiji. The redhead was standing beside her, thoughtfully watching his friend rest. When he felt he was being watched, he eyed Harumi with surprise. Reading what was on her mind as he saw the slight smirk directed at him, he blushed.

He wanted to say something, but Harumi beat him to it:

"I didn't know you were afraid of needles, Eiji."

"Yeah, well, I guess my secret is out." He stared at her suspiciously. "But don't be the one to talk, you were as afraid as I was, nya!"

Harumi's smiled faded. "Not really."

"Liar!"

They eyed each other and their smiles widened. Covering her mouth with a hand, Harumi suppressed her giggles.

"We should let him rest, nya!"

Harumi agreed. Gripping her crutch, she stood up. When Eiji was already at the door, Harumi bent over and enveloped the sleeping boy in a tender gaze. "Get well soon." She whispered as she squeezed his arm under the cover.

* * *

**crazy bubbling blonde:** haha, i know what you mean! i can very well imagine myself with someone like Fuji! Heck, even for life, LOL. so, which girl's view on Fuji is the right one? I wonder... I wonder... ok, just kidding!! i know it, of course! but you will have to wait for a little longer before finding out:p i hope you had fun reading this chappy! 

**JayleeJ:** thanks for your review!! it will become even moore interesting after, i can guarantee that, lol.

**I-poke-penguins:** LOL, somehow your pen name really made me laugh! It's funny and cute, how did you come up with it? anyway! thanks for reviewing. yeah, i know, Fuji's sweetness tops the charts! hope you enjoyed this one!

**fanXforever:** haha, oops, you are right, no one is perfect. maybe ive made him too perfect up until now, but thats how Harumi sees him for the moment, so it cant be helped, can it? but trust me, he is not perfect! i wouldnt call that the dark and sadistic part of him, but something different is definitely gonna come up!! hehe, hope you liked this chappy!! see ya!!

**unchangingxp:** omg, the two perfect adjectives for Fuji: nice and cute!! definitely, defnitely!! im glad i was able to convey that image of him, yup! haha, of course you are not desperate! You sound perfectly normal to me! cause i mean, if i saw him on the streets, (ok, its not possible cause hes an anime character, but let's say someone like him), then i wouldnt hesitate! nope! and of course, im not desperate either, haha! but dont worry, u will definitely find that someone one day! me too, i hope! lets all find our Fujis in this life, haha! ok, what am i saying? randomness over!! see ya!

**Anime 300:** that friend? you mean Naoki? oh, dont worry, shes definitely gonna keep showing up, hihi. Yeah, i like complicated guys/characters! its fun to write about their true depth. no one is what he or she seems to be. and thats how a story gets interesting, anyway! lol, i hope i will be able to do all that with my fic!! thanks for reading and reviewing!!!

**fujiiscute:** ha, thanks for reviewing. well, to tell you the truth, im not sure about the ending yet!! it could be a happy one or a sad one... who knows, lol. Well, keep reading to find out, thats all i can say!

**Rita:** so, you must be happy this time!1 it took me less than a week to post it, LOL. so, by something good, you mean something good in the love relationship, or a plot twist?

**angelOfdestiny:** new chapter is here!! hope you liked it!! thanks for reviewing, yay!

**Morggie85:** thanks girl! im so glad you like my story! their friendship will develop alright, thats all i can say. Amaya is what i see as the real good friend, lol. i like her too! maybe im even gonna develop on how she and oishi got together. oh well, that is if i have time. anyway, thanks for reading! i hope this new chappy was good!!

**singer in the wind:** thanks for the review! LOL. yeah, he's her man, alright! (and mine too, mine, mine). ahem, i didnt say anything. lol, dontt worry about next week!! i hope you will have your laptop, but if u dont, then when u come back there will be two chapters waiting for you! LOL. have fun wherever you are going!


	13. Memories of betrayal

Hey guys!! I'm here earlier than expected! I never thought I would be posting another chapter so soon!! But things happen in this world, yup! So be happy, cheer a little and READ ON!

* * *

**Memories of betrayal**

By the time Amaya and the rest of gang finally decided to come back, it was pitch dark outside. However, inside the mansion, all the lamps were turned on. A fire had been kindled earlier in the evening by the house maids, and now, it was burning vividly.

"Man! I'm so cold!" uttered Momo while sneaking inside and rubbing his arms energetically in an attempt to warm up his body.

Harumi hopped downstairs, along with Eiji, and quickly went to her teammates and friends.

"Welcome back!" She said to Amaya, Naoko and Chiharu.

"Bwaaa, today was cool! I even beat Takasan in his burning state!" Chiharu chirped joyfully with a proud stance.

"So, I see you all had fun? That's great! Come inside, dinner is ready!"

"What about you, Harumi? Anything interesting?" Naoko asked with a wink.

"Nah, not really. I mainly slept all day, haha!"

"What? It was your perfect chance with Fuji, girl! You were alone with him in a mansion for the whole day, and nothing happened?" Naoko sounded disbelieving, and eyed her friend suspiciously to see if she was lying.

Harumi sighed. "Naoko, I'm not always thinking about that kind of stuff! Fuji is sick, he has a fever, so it was better to let him rest in peace, don't you think?"

Naoko sighed. "I suppose you are right. But really, it's such a shame!"

"What about Tezuka?" Harumi counter attacked. "Did you faint on him or something?"

"Yo, I wouldn't go so low as to do that, but I did lose my balance once and he caught me by the arm…" Thinking back to that scene, Naoko totally spaced out for the rest of the evening.

Harumi left her to her fantasies with an indulgent sigh, and joined Amaya and Chiharu as they made their way to the dining room, once their coats and boots had been taken away by the sudden swarm of servants that had gushed forth towards them.

At dinner, the dishes presented to them were sophisticated and succulent, which rejoiced the guests and made them eat with good appetite. Harumi even asked for a second bowl of rice, which she rarely did when she was eating at home. When it was time for dessert, Eiji introduced his famous chocolate cake and divided it into equal pieces to share it with everyone.

"Sugoi, Kikumaru! You really made this?" exclaimed Naoki with stars in her eyes.

"Yeah! Like it?" Eiji asked with a big grin.

"You will be a good husband, that's all I can say!" Naoki said while stuffing another piece of cake in her mouth.

Mai looked up at Naoki's words, frowning slightly. Then her gaze slowly turned towards Eiji. The redhead just happened to look in her direction.

"Hoi! Girls' Buchou, do you like it too?"

Mai's severe glance pierced him, making him sweatdrop a little. After some time, she lowered her eyes and took another bite.

"Yes, it's good." She said without looking at him.

"Yataa! I just got complimented by Mai-san!"

Eiji's energy was contagious, and soon the whole table started talking animatedly.

Harumi eyed Naoki discreetly from the other side of the table. Naoki looked and acted as if everything was normal. Had she already forgotten the angry words they had exchanged a couple of days earlier? Harumi couldn't forget it, not as much because of the tension reflected in their eyes every time they looked at each other, but rather because of the doubts that Naoki had implanted in her heart. These doubts were like nasty seeds that kept on growing bigger and bigger. Consequently, Harumi didn't know how to behave around Naoki anymore.

"What about Fuji?" She asked to no one in particular. "I think he should eat something, too."

"Yes, you are right." She was surprised to hear this from Tezuka.

"Tezuka-san?"

"I will ask Alphonse to bring him some soup. If he doesn't eat, he won't get well." Tezuka said sternly.

But Harumi was pretty sure he was worried about his friend. _So, Tezuka isn't as cold as he seems, huh? I've always wondered what Naoko sees in him, but I think I understand a little better now._

Tezuka motioned to Alphonse, standing in one corner of the room. The servant rushed to his side.

"How can I help you, young mister?"

"Do you have any of that mushroom soup left?"

"I believe so, sir."

"We have a friend who is sick. He is lying upstairs, in the first room to the right. Could you do me a favor and bring him some soup?"

"I will do it!" Harumi said before she knew she said it.

Tezuka turned his glance in her direction.

"Ano… I mean…eto…"

"Alphonse will go." He said in a tone that showed he didn't want to be contradicted. "You are in no state to carry soup, or anything else, for that matter."

Harumi looked down at her ankle. _Oh yeah, that's true._

"Hai, sir. Consider it done." Alphonse bowed before going to the kitchen.

"Why is he so formal, anyway?" Harumi muttered to herself in a sulky tone.

When they all finished eating, more servants came to take away the dirty dishes. Harumi saw the young boy who was carrying her huge bag on the first day among the rushing crowd. He was busying himself among the others. When he passed her by, he looked at her and saw her smiling and waving to him, which made him blush like crazy and hastily run off to the kitchen, almost dropping the mountain of dishes in his arms.

"What's up with him?" The young girl groaned.

"Woo, looks like Fuji will have competition, soon!" Chiharu cooed in her ear.

Harumi blushed. "What??? You don't mean that he… But I don't even know his name! Besides, he's like… what? Four years younger than I am?"

"Kidding, kidding…" Chiharu giggled.

Harumi rested a cheek on her palm and looked in the direction of the stairs as her thoughts wandered once more towards the tennis prodigy. _Fuji will have competition soon, huh? Stop kidding me. There's just no way that he can have any feelings for me. I can't blame him. After all, we haven't known each other for a long time. Anyway, it doesn't matter right now. That's right, my first priority now is to make him get better. Nurse Clara entrusted me with a mission, yep! Give him his pills every five hours, which means at… 1 am??? _

She sighed. So she had to either stay awake until 1 am, or try to find her alarm clock in her huge huge bag, set it up, and wake the whole mansion at 1 am. The choice then seemed pretty clear to her. From across the table, she saw Aika poking at her cake distractedly. Her left ear tingled as Naoki's whispers reached her.

"Aika looks pretty down, what happened?" She was talking to Amaya. Amaya looked at Oishi, but he shook his head, eyeing Aika with concern.

"Beats me!" Amaya finally said.

"Momo officially dumped her, that's why." Chiharu said matter of factly.

"Nani???" Naoki, Amaya and Oishi screamed.

Some people turned their heads in their direction, but soon returned to their own conversations.

"What happened, exactly?" Oishi inquired. "Is she okay?"

"Of course she is not okay. But guys, let me tell you, that was bound to happen one of these days. I mean, she's always hitting Momo on the head or calling him names. Poor Momo, today was the day his strings finally snapped."

"But, what happened exactly?" Amaya asked.

"It all started with one of their usual scenes. And then Momo got mad and said: "That's it! I have had it! You are annoying, Aika!""

Naoki scratched her head. "Ok, maybe I'm slow, but it seems to me that Momo just talked back. And he can't possibly dump her since they weren't together to begin with."

Chiharu shrugged. "Oh, I don't know why. I was pretty far away when it happened. But something was definitely different, since Aika felt it. But, haven't you noticed? Usually Momo never fights back. He either runs away or takes it the good way. Today was different."

"Or maybe Aika is just too sensitive!" Naoki said.

Harumi's ear was bleeding from all the concentration. She looked at Aika and felt a rush of sympathy, even though they hadn't been on very good terms since the day when Harumi beat her at her first tennis match after two years. She watched as the three girls and the one boy talked, heads bent close, forming their own private circle.

Suddenly, her eyes widened as she saw Fuji standing behind them, then leaning in and whispering to them.

"Ah, gossiping again, aren't you? What is it about this time? Fill me in!"

She could hear his voice clearly in her ears, as if he was whispering to her. Her heart thundered.

And then his image disappeared, as if turning into smoke after she'd turned on the lights. Harumi rubbed her eyes and sighed. It was kind of lonely without Fuji and his usual pranks.

Aika was still playing with her piece of cake.

"Come on, Aika-chan, you better eat that or you will make Eiji sad!"

Aika looked up in disbelief as her rival just talked to her. She frowned. "And what do I care? Geez!"

Harumi didn't let her smile waver. "It's good! Just try it, and you will see! Or if you really don't like it, I wouldn't mind to have it! I finished mine too fast to even taste it properly."

She sighed. Well, that last part was true!

Aika's eyes narrowed as she wondered what she was up to. Being so nice all of a sudden was very suspicious.

"In your dreams, Yamazaki! I don't know what you are up to, but you are not getting anything from me!"

Having said that, she put the whole piece of cake in her mouth and started to chew furiously. Harumi sweatdropped a little. _Well, at least she looks more alive, now! _

* * *

Fuji woke up in the middle of the night. He couldn't see a thing of his surroundings, or maybe was it because his vision was still too blurry? 

Even though he couldn't make out the bed he was lying on, he could feel it reeling like a boat in the middle of a storm. He swallowed, suppressing the urge to throw up. Now, it wouldn't do if he spoiled these blankets that weren't his, would it?

He wrapped the blankets in question more tightly around himself. He was shivering of cold, and yet, he could feel his body irradiating heat.

He closed his eyes, trying to go back to sleep, but instead dived into a state of confusion where indistinct forms were rushing towards him, grabbing him, pulling him under. He tried to run away from them but couldn't, for his whole body felt like that of a disjointed puppet.

All faded into darkness.

After an uncertain amount of time, a sparkle of light twinkled somewhere in the darkness, and then started to grow bigger and bigger. After staring straight at it for a moment, Fuji started to have the impression that the light wasn't the one that was growing brighter, but that he was the one that was being pulled towards it. His head hurt.

And then, the light enveloped him as he found himself in front of an all too familiar sight.

_"What is it, Kenji-kun? What is it that you want to show me?"_

Fuji watched as a much more younger version of himself trailed behind an older boy with dark blue hair. Younger Fuji was no more than six or seven years old. It was a shock to see himself again like _that_. His eyes were wide open, his blue pupils shining with life and curiosity, his face and smile lightened with innocence.

The boy with dark blue hair, Kenji, turned around the corner of a street and disappeared in the mist of his spirit. Fuji and younger Fuji both ran after him. At one point, without even knowing it, Fuji merged with the younger version of himself. He could feel his chest burning as he tried to catch up with his best friend.

Mist was everywhere.

There were tall brick walls on both sides of him.

"Kenji-kun!!!" His call echoed gloomily.

Suddenly, he crushed into someone's back. He raised his head and instantly recognized that dark blue hair and those grey eyes filled with intelligence. Kenji-kun. His first best friend.

His first best friend who betrayed him.

"What do you want to show me, Kenji-kun?" He asked, grinning.

"Now… now… we are best friends, aren't we, Syusuke-kun?"

Even though Fuji had only met him three months ago, they had had so much fun together and Kenji had seemed so understandable about his problems, that he felt they had known each other for life. He nodded vividly.

"Of course we are!" His blue eyes were shining with admiration towards his older friend.

"You are my best friend too! And that's why I will now keep the promise I made to you." He smiled gently.

"I knew that if there was anyone who could help me, it would be you, Kenji-kun!"

"So, did you bring it?"

All he could see were Kenji eyes. Grey eyes filled with kindness. Fuji did not hesitate when he pulled out a bag of jewelry from his pocket.

"Yes!"

"Perfect!" The instant Kenji saw the little package, something seemed to change in him. He took it from Fuji with a jerk and opened it a little to peek inside. What he saw drew a satisfying smile from his lips.

"Good job!" Then, he laughed loudly.

Fuji eyed him with curiosity. "Are you going to start?"

Kenji didn't hear him as he looked around, making sure they were alone. Only little Syusuke and himself. Fuji saw him throwing those glances around him and starting to move as if he wanted to get away from there as soon as he could. Fuji's voice drove Kenji's attention back to himself as he called out his friend's name. Kenji looked at him with that perennial sparkle of intelligence in his eyes.

"Nani? Did you say something? Anyway, it seems that I will have to do the ritual another time. I have some business to attend to right now, do you understand?"

Fuji's smile faded in disappointment. "What business?"

"Such a clever question! Now, let's see. The business concerns a little boy."

Fuji frowned. "A little boy?"

Kenji suppressed a fit of laughter. "Yes, yes. Tell me, Syusuke-kun, what would you do to someone that you no longer need? Or, let me put it this way: what would you do to someone who has done their job and who might become a serious hindrance if left alone?"

Fuji stepped forward, dumbfounded. He didn't understand. Why was Kenji talking like that? Why was he asking weird questions? "Ano... I don't know. Demo, can't you just do it now? You know I miss him."

"Do it? Do what?" Kenji asked absent mindedly as he once again scanned their surroundings filled with mist.

"The ritual, silly! You said you knew how to perform it in order to bring Kiri back! That is why I got you these pretty stones! You said you needed them for the ritual! That was your promise, remember?" His smile didn't wane, as he expectantly raised his gaze towards Kenji's face.

Kenji sighed impatiently at his younger companion's gullibility. He looked down at him with hard eyes.

"K… Kenji-kun?" Fuji whispered while backing off.

Kenji smiled, a smile without any trace of kindness. As he looked down on younger Fuji again, his lips twisted in mockery.

"Well, it seems that you don't get it at all. Maa, I guess there is no point in pretending anymore. After all, you have done your job admirably well. So, listen now, young one. There was never such a promise. Besides, no one can bring cats back to life. I thought even a little boy like you would know that. But, you fell for it so easily that it almost wasn't funny."

He smirked when seeing Fuji's expression. His eyes caught movement from behind his back. "Well then, sayonara, Syusuke-kun." The way he pronounced his name felt like an insult. Fuji felt a pang of shock and panic to his chest.

He managed to smile a little, hoping that it was all a joke. "S-stop joking around, Kenji-kun."

"Do I look like I'm joking, stupid? I'm not your friend. I never was. But I had fun with you, don't get me wrong! Seeing you follow me around, saying: "Kenji-kun, I hope we will stay best friends forever" – he mimicked in a childish voice – was all too hilarious!"

He burst out into laughter. Fuji felt tears running down his cheeks. He clung to Kenji's arm, not wanting to believe any of it. "Just what are you saying?"

Kenji shoved him off and started to walk away.

"Kenji-kun! Matte! Then...at least give me back the pretty stones! They are not mine! Please?"

He took Kenji's arm again. Kenji pushed him back without management, making him fall roughly on the cold ground. When he tried to get up, three tall figures were looming above him, wearing cruel grins.

"K… Kenji-kun?"

"Yare, yare! Looks like my buddies are finally here." Kenji said, amused.

"We will take care of him, you go ahead, Kenji." One of the dark figures said.

"Don't hurt baby boy too much. It wouldn't be fun if he died, now, would it?" Kenji laughed again, his footsteps fading away.

Fuji jumped up. "Wait!!! Kenji-kun!!! Please come back! Please don't leave me alone! You promised!"

A punch landed on his stomach, making him fly backwards.

"Kenji...kun. W-Why..."

More punches followed and then, nothing.

Fuji suddenly awoke from his nightmare, sweating abundantly. His eyes were wide open, trying to discern familiar patterns in the dark, but he could see nothing. There was nothing. He tried to calm down the crazy beats of his heart.

The ceiling was moving. Undulating. Almost like waves.

Suddenly, he felt water inside his lungs. Where was he? Another nightmare? He was tired; he just wanted to get some sleep. To forget. He was forced to look around as more water slipped inside his nose and mouth. There was a dim light around him, and his surroundings didn't look like that of his bedroom. He was under the dark waters of a deep ocean. He gave up on fighting against the current and just let the waves carry him away.

He looked towards where the surface was supposed to be, but saw nothing.

And then there it was. A mirror. A reflection.

Unconscious recognition filled his eyes. He knew what it was; he knew what he would see. He didn't want to see it, but the current, like a flow of fate, pushed him right in front of it.

There it was: the face of a pretty girl with two long silver braids. A face he remembered all too well. Her aqua eyes were shining with love and tenderness, and her face was red with passion. But that love and that passion weren't destined to him. At least, not anymore.

From the mirror where she was, she suddenly saw Fuji looking at her, and as she did so, her happiness and love were replaced by confusion and guilt.

_"S…Syusuke… "_ He heard her say his name.

He never thought he'd never feel that again. That tearing of his heart, that blow to his stomach. Feeling like the world had just shattered around him, he turned around and started to run away from her, from that sight.

_"Wait, Syusuke! It's not what you think! Please!" _Her voice behind him, chasing him.

He didn't want to hear that voice anymore. He didn't want to feel that way anymore.

His second betrayal.

He just ran farther and farther and farther away, deeper into that gray ocean, never looking back. However, a single question kept thundering in his mind, haunting him: "Where did I go wrong, Sayuri? Where?"

He was still running, but he wasn't moving any more. Images of Kenji and Sayuri flew by his side. He fell on his knees and screamed.

"Fuji-san. Fuji-san!"

Someone was calling him, trying to reach out to him. He felt lost. Even that name, Fuji, sounded like a stranger's name to his ears.

"It's alright, Fuji-san. It was just a nightmare. You will be alright now." Said the calm and soothing voice.

He felt cold. So cold. His lungs burnt. He coughed. Water dripped down his mouth. He drank it avidly. He didn't know he was that thirsty.

A nightmare. That's right. That's all it was. Kenji and Sayuri were not back. They were not here.

"There, there." The gentle voice said. His dizziness decreased a little when something cold pressed against his forehead. Gentle fingers wiped away tears he wasn't aware he had let out.

"Fuji-san, you will be alright. I'm with you now."

Who was that? The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember.

Kenji... Sayuri... such painful memories. He thought he had locked them away forever, so why were they back?

Fresh fingers brushed against his cheeks, soothing him, giving him strength. It didn't matter if they were back; he would lock them away again, even more deeply within himself if necessary. This simple decision made him feel lighter. Kenji's smirk and Sayuri's tears slowly faded away.

He felt he wasn't alone anymore. He felt protected, something he hadn't felt in a long, long time.

"Go to sleep." The voice whispered in his ears.

"Sa… Sayuri." At the instant he whispered that name, he knew that it wasn't right. "No… that's not it…"

He cracked his eyes open. He wanted to see. He wanted to know. His eyes dived into a purple ocean.

"Fuji-san."

That name again. It sounded so strange, out of place. He wanted to say something, but what? A sound reached his ears, making him stop and listen. His head was full of confusion, but that sound eased his fears.

Humming.

The person who was protecting him was humming gently. A sweet melody. He felt slumber gaining him over.

"S…Syusuke." He finally managed to whisper.

The humming stopped. "What did you say, Fuji-san?" Same voice. Same gentleness.

He inhaled sharply. "Please… call me Syusuke."

And then, slumber took over him.

* * *

Alright, I decided that since school starts next week for me, I'm gonna post as much as I can before that, cause once school starts, it's gonna be hell, and no one can tell how everything is going to wrap up. So I hope you guys are gonna stick with me!!! Please read and review:p 

**Anime 300:** I will increase the good work, hehe!! yeah, I myself have a phobia of needles. i hate them, i hate hospitals and nurses and doctors and everything related to that, ugh! thanks for ur review!

**JayleeJ:** Lol, I like long chappies too, they are fun to write! Eiji must be the cutest anime character ever!! from all the anime i have seen up until now, he is my number one, nya!! Fuji being sick... not very pleasant, but useful to the plot, hehe! thanks for ur review!

**singer in the wind:** well well, if you think that Eiji likes Harumi, then there is a possibility that its true, LOL. they are also very good friends. lets see how all this develops, alright? thanks a lot for ur review!

**Morggie85:** thank you very much!! I must admit that right now i have a lot of fun writing Eiji and Harumi scenes. I have been re-watching Pot lately and Eiji is just soooo cute that i had to do something about it in my fic, hihi. I will see about Amaya and Oishi... if their relationship contributes to the plot, I will add that story:p thanks again for ur review, and keep reading!! Ja ne! oh yeah, the word kawaii is just so... kawaii that i had to use it!

**White Alchemist Taya:** pretty insightful, arent we? i like triangles!! so fun and complex, lol.

**fanXforever:** yeah, thought i should do something stupid about the bear affair. when i went skiing, there were no bears, so basically there cant be bears in secure areas. lol, so yeah heck, it was Momo.

**koolasapixels:** Yup! I know what you are talking about! It's one of those pictures where Fuji and the rest are chibis, right? But in the actual series, Fuji never plays a flute! But in any case, playing a flute suits him well, i think!! and sure, enjoy the rest of the reading! catch up soon, 'kay?

**angelOfdestiny:** thanks a lot!! i hate needles too, but i guess you can see that, right:p

**I-Poke-Penguins:** Yeah, i know what you mean:p Eiji is indescribably cute, haha! Major Fuji fluff in this one!! hope you liked it!

**Crazy bubbling blonde:** thanks for the review!! needles are the worst invention of mankind.

**bLoodY vEngEfUl sOul:** thanks for the review!!! this feeling of yours might very well be true:p I never intended that to happen - bad hand... bad - but when you keep on writing, the characters just seem to be alive and doing whatever they want. im glad you think its not a Mary Sue, even though... the definition of Mary Sue is still unclear to me (nervous laugh). anyway, thanks for reading! hope you liked this one.

**Rita:** well, arent you the lucky one? This one comes out really soon, doesnt it? well, i guess you can call this episode an upgrade in their relationship!!! take care!!! Ja ne!

* * *

ok!! next chappie is half typed!! Please Read and Review, okay? Oh, and if you know any scenes related to Fuji's childhood other than that Fuji Yuuta scene, it would be appreciated if you could tell me! Arigatou gosaimasu! 


	14. Mixed feelings

**Mixed feelings**

Her head was being crushed underneath too many heavy thoughts. It was impossible to go back to sleep now. She looked at the windows and saw that it was still night outside. However, a look at her wrist watch told her that it was 6 AM already.

"So, it's going to be morning soon. I better get up now. Geez, I hate winter. I wish I could become a bear and sleep for the entire season and forget all the troublesome things that happen."

When she sat up, her reflex was to take a hold of the crutch beside her bed, but she shook her head as she decided to finally test her ankle. Putting her left foot carefully on the floor, she put pressure on it, and was glad to feel nothing. No pain.

She stood up, smiling. _Well, it looks like it's healed._

When she started walking, it stung a little, but it was nothing that she couldn't bear. She looked at the girls sleeping in the same common room as she did. Some of them, like Chiharu, Naoki and Aika, were still a mystery to her. With Chiharu, she felt like they could become closer friends with time, but with Naoki and Aika, something seemed broken already.

It wasn't a good time to add more problems to her long list of problems. She hobbled out of the room, thinking about where she could go.

Then, she had an idea. She went downstairs, limped past the dining room and the kitchen, and finally stood still as she arrived in front of the hot springs. She smiled. She hadn't gone in there yet since she had arrived.

The water in the low basin was smoking gently as heat waves caressed her bare legs. She slowly took off her slippers and walked into the low-leveled water. Hot tiny waves splashed against her ankles. To her left, there were sinks and pegs to hang her clothes, and in one corner, a shelf full of clean towels. To her right was a honey colored wall. She knew that on the other side was the boys' changing room. She took off her clothes slowly, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself.

Finally, she opened the door on which were written the words "Hot Springs", and went in.

The sight made her jaw drop to the ground.

She was standing in front of a pond surrounded by irregularly shaped rocks. Small caves could be found everywhere, some of them in plain view, some of them hidden behind other rocks. To the far end of the pond was a tall rock shaped in the form of an eagle with its wings spread wide, and streams of water were pouring from its beak, the crown that it was wearing, and from each recognizable feather carved into its wings. The streams fell down to the pond beneath like a hundred little waterfalls.

Above her, the roof was made of pure glass, and she could see the early morning sky beyond it. Some stars were still twinkling, like little diamonds.

Harumi was so awestruck that for several minutes she just stood there and tried to grab the reality of the place. Finally, she closed the door behind her and slowly walked into the pool. Choosing a cozy little spot between two round rocks, she immersed herself in the hot water until all that was out was her head. Her long hair floated around her, like a fan.

She closed her eyes and listened to the water falling from the giant bird. It was the most peaceful place she had been to in a long time. Soon, she felt really warm. Almost as warm as when she had put on Fuji's coat during the snow storm… almost as warm as when she had been holding him last night, when he was having a nightmare.

Her eyes snapped open. With one fist, she dispersed the little cloud with Fuji's face in it.

"Geez, I just can't get away from him!" she muttered.

She felt too hot now. She sat up straight and looked up at the night sky that was starting to clear up. Wrapping her arms around her legs, and resting a cheek against her knees, her thoughts wandered once more.

_Please… call me Syusuke._

She felt butterflies in her stomach as a smile slowly spread across her lips. With one wet finger, she unconsciously wrote that name: Syusuke, on a piece of rock nearby.

_He said that to me. It wasn't a dream. Even though he was sick, I believe that he wouldn't have said that if I weren't someone important to him. Maybe… he wanted to say it all along but couldn't find the strength, and when he was sick, his subconscious just let it out. _

_Or maybe…_

Lightning crossed her chest as her smile faded. She hadn't wanted to think about it since it happened, too happy that Fuji had asked her to call him Syusuke, but now the memory suddenly had come back with full power. She closed her eyes and finished her thought.

_Or maybe I just reminded him of someone else. Sayuri. Yes, I'm pretty sure he said that name. Sayuri. Could she be his girlfriend or something like that?_

She bit her lower lip. She didn't want to believe any of that but… why was her heart sinking? She stared silently as she first rays of sunlight started to pierce through the glass roof.

She looked at the name she had just traced on the rock.

"Syusuke." She whispered softly to herself, savoring the taste of that name in her mouth, and how her tongue had to twist a little to pronounce the first syllable.

"Syusuke." It was such a gentle name. Somehow just saying it to herself made her feel more at peace.

"Syusuke." It made her feel all warm inside. She never thought she would be speaking it this soon. Her doubts faded away a little as her smile came back.

"Well, well, looks like someone is happy today!" A voice suddenly rose above the sounds of water, bursting her little cloud of daydreaming.

She opened her eyes with a jerk, wondering in a panic if that person had heard her say Fuji's first name. The person apparently didn't, since she was still at the door, but just seeing who it was made Harumi uncomfortable.

"Naoki." She muttered.

"Yo, Harumi!" she smiled cunningly as she pulled on her elastic, making her blonde hair fall down on her shoulders, like strands of gold.

She entered the pool and, to Harumi's amazement, went to sit down beside her.

"It's your first time here?" She asked.

Harumi nodded. "Ah, ah, it's my third time already. I come here every night."

"So why are you here now?" She muttered.

"Because I wanted to talk to you." She said, her tone more serious.

Harumi's body stiffened.

"Well, you see…"Naoki started.

"Don't say it!" Harumi interrupted. She turned towards Naoki decisively, her purple eyes irradiating determination. Naoki looked at her, startled.

"I know what you are going to say, so… don't say it! I don't care about any of that. I've made up my mind. I am not going to give up on Sy… Fuji. Whether you like it or not, I know him better than you do, and I know he would never ever hurt anyone intentionally. So, whatever happened to your friend, I'm sorry, but it shouldn't make you judge him like that."

Naoki was speechless for perhaps a minute or more. As silence built up between the two girls, Harumi felt more and more uncomfortable, but her determination didn't waver. Whatever bad side of Fuji Naoki was going to reveal to her again, she wouldn't care.

Finally, Naoki let out a sigh and smiled. Passing a hand through her hair, she said:

"Well…well… I see you didn't stay idle since the last time we've spoken! You went to gather some information, is that it? Well, concerning that friend of mine… you don't know the whole story. But that's not important for now."

Harumi was confused.

"Not important?"

"Yup. Because what I wanted to do before you interrupted me, is to apologize for the other day."

"Apologize?" Harumi's jaw was threatening to drop down once more.

"Yeah, what I said about Fuji and everything. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying these things are not true, but I realized that I should have said them differently."

Harumi sighed. "Naoki, I appreciate your concern, but however you say those things, it's going to hurt me. I think I have never been so decided for anything in my whole life. I want to know Fuji better. I want to be there for him. Do you understand that, Naoki?"

"So, whatever I say will be useless, right?"

Harumi nodded.

"Alright. Keep that strength within yourself, because I admire it, but be prepared to be hurt, because I know it's going to happen. Fuji's past is a mystery, even for those who know him best."

"Maybe that's because no one really insisted to know!" Harumi said.

Naoki sighed. Her blue eyes were shining with worry when she turned her gaze towards her friend. "If you knew how much you sound like my friend! I just don't understand what you see in him. She, too, insisted to know, she even told him she loved him, but Fuji… Fuji broke her heart, saying that he was sorry but he couldn't love her back. Then, after that, he acted like he didn't even know her. So, Harumi, please be careful."

Harumi wanted to block her ears. She didn't want to know any of that. She stood up suddenly.

"I… I have to go. It's time for Fuji's medicine." She said quietly before exiting the hot springs without a glance at the blonde.

Wrapping a dry towel around her body, her hair still dripping water, she exited the pond, the caves and the young girl in them. She wanted to get as far away from Naoki as she could. 

_Why is it that each time we talk, she implants these doubts in my mind? But what I told her is true as well. I won't give up on Fuji that easily. I will keep her warnings in mind, but that would be all._

She kept on walking away, not knowing where she was heading for.

_It's so hard to believe sometimes that the Fuji she is talking about and the Fuji that I know is the same. Fuji would never… be that indifferent if someone got hurt because of him. I can't believe he just ignored that girl after… her confession. But then, I'm NOT that girl. I bet he never told her to call him Syusuke._

Just that memory alone could give her the strength she needed.

And just then, she bumped into someone. She blinked and finally looked around her.

"Ah, gomen…eto…" She thought about his name. "…Echizen."

The young tennis prodigy's hazel eyes were wider than usual. He wasn't wearing his cap and his black hair was still all messed up. He was also wearing his night shirt. His look of whatever it was became a collected expression after a short time.

"Senpai – he said – you are just wearing a towel. Why?"

Harumi blinked, looked down at her still wet body and at the towel that was a little loose at chest level. Her eyes became two dots. She had forgotten to change back into her clothes!

"ECHIZEEEEEEN!!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Just what are you staring at!" Her face red with embarrassment, she punched him in the face and sent him flying through the nearest window (anime like).

She felt she was still being watching. Turning to her right by ninety degrees, she saw she was standing right in front of the boys' dorm, whose door was ajar. She could see everyone inside staring at her, mouths wide. She sweatdropped.

"You band of perverts!!!!" She screamed while running away. Her towel loosened and was about to fall of, but she grabbed it with her hand and kept it stuck to her body.

"That thing back there SO didn't happen!" She yelled as she ran. Self denial felt good sometimes.

* * *

A few minutes later, Harumi was sitting on the chair beside Fuji's bed. Under the early sun rays piercing through the curtains, she could see his face clearly. 

_He looks so peaceful… it must be a good sign, right?_

_He hasn't opened his eyes since last night. It's time for his medicine, but I wonder if I should really wake him up? _

She went to the window and looked outside, at the white world unfolded before her eyes. There was snow and more snow; it was peaceful, and yet empty.

There was movement in the front yard. Among the statues covered under the snow, Harumi distinguished two redheads and two blondes. Eiji, Chiharu and the twin sisters. She looked closer. They seemed to be working on something.

A snowman!

She smiled. _I bet it was Eiji's idea!_

She felt tired from her restless night. Her head felt heavy and a headache was threatening to break loose. She sat down again and closed her eyes, just wanting to rest them for a bit before she wakes Fuji up.

* * *

When Fuji woke up, lying on his left side, the first thing he saw was a young girl asleep on a chair. Her head was resting on her shoulder and her hair cascaded down till her waist like a waterfall. She was wearing a blue night gown. 

He rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was still dreaming. But the girl didn't disappear. And then he recognized her.

"Harumi-chan…" he whispered.

At the sound of her name, the young girl slowly opened her eyes, and as his gaze met those purple pupils again, a quick flashback danced through his memory.

Purple ocean.

Then, it disappeared as Harumi suddenly jumped on her feet, rubbed her eyes and smiled widely.

"Ah, you are awake! Are you feeling any better this morning?" She said in a happy voice.

Fuji sat up. He felt just fine. Before he knew it, Harumi's hand was on his forehead.

"Hmmm, ok, you don't seem to have a fever anymore. But still, it's better to make sure. Now, where did nurse Clara leave that thermometer?"

She looked on the night table and then in different drawers, frantically throwing things out as she went on her search. Fuji blinked.

"Harumi-chan, I…"

"Oh sheesh, now I remember! It is in the first aid kit that she always carries with her. Seems like you will have to wait for awhile for the thermometer."

She sat down on the bed, looked at him inquiringly, and hit a fist against her palm. "Oh yeah, before I forget, you have to take your medicine. It's yucky, I personally hate all medicine, but if you are feeling better, then this may be the last time."

She brought him his pills as well as a glass of water.

"Ok, there you go!"

Fuji smiled and took them. "Arigatou, Harumi-chan."

She watched as he swallowed the whole thing. When he was done, she was already at the door.

"I will go fetch nurse Clara right away! I hope she is not out or something… it would be bad if…"

"Harumi-chan!" Fuji called gently.

"… ah, yes?" Harumi paused and looked at him, and doing so, blushed.

"Daijoubou. Don't go through all that trouble. I'm feeling better this morning."

"Demo! What if…"

She stopped when seeing Fuji's smile.

"Are… are you sure?"

The young boy nodded.

"O… okay! Then, I will go and bring you some breakfast! What do you feel like eating? There's almost anything in this house. Maybe something hot? I think they have soup, toasts and fruits. You haven't eaten properly since you came back. Maybe I should ask the cooks to make something special for you? Maybe…"

"Harumi-chan, daijoubou, really! Please stop worrying like that."

Harumi stopped.

_What am I doing? Why am I so nervous all of a sudden? Also, do I call him Fuji or Syusuke? Which one? I don't dare to even say his name until I've found that out.  
_

She thought about an excuse, any excuse, to get out of that room, because she felt that if she stayed any longer, she would explode inside. She suddenly realized that she hasn't stopped talking for the last ten minutes.

She caught her head in her hands. "AAAhh, gomen! I… Gomenasai!"

Fuji suddenly laughed at the sight of her totally panicking. Harumi was dumbfounded.

"Gomen…" she repeated in a small voice.

"It's alright! I'm grateful for your concern, Harumi-chan. Now, come here for a second, please."

In her head, she was losing it. She approached him slowly, eyes down, and sat down on the chair. She wondered what he wanted to say to her.

Suddenly, she felt her whole body shiver and her heart almost jumping out of her chest as he closed his hand on hers. She looked up at him in awe, not feeling anything else except for that sensation of her hand imprisoned in his. His grab was gentle, yet firm.

And his eyes. His eyes were open, yet smiling, something she has never seen yet.

After a moment of silence, Fuji said:

"I know you took care of me last night. Arigatou, Harumi-chan."

It was a moment before she trusted her voice enough to speak.

"You know? Then, you remember?"

He smiled. "I remember you being there."

Harumi closed her eyes. What was he saying? This was too much, all of a sudden. But still, she had to find out. She had to know.

"You were having nightmares - she said quietly - they seemed really bad. And I couldn't do anything about them. I could just be there with you, so I didn't do anything special, really."

"You were there. That is enough."

Fuji's hand was so warm. She was happy. She felt like letting herself go and float into that ecstatic sensation, but she had something to do, first.

"Those nightmares - she whispered - do you remember them?"

"I don't."

_He doesn't. He doesn't remember._ She felt her heart sinking.

"And, what happened after you woke up from your nightmares? - she asked, not ready to give up - I gave you your pills, do you remember that?"

"It's a little blurry, but yes, I remember someone handing me a glass of water. That person was you, wasn't it, Harumi-chan? You also said somenthing, but I don't remember it now."

Seeing her expression, his smile faded a little.

"What's wrong? Did something happen last night that I should remember? Or that made you uncomfortable?"

Harumi vividly shook her head as she smiled. "No, nothing happened. I'm glad you are feeling okay! That's what's important!"

Fuji withdrew his hand. For a second, Harumi almost reached out to take it again, but she restrained herself.

_It's no use. For him, it's as if it never happened. He probably never intended to say it in the first place. Maybe I should forget the whole thing.  
_

"I'm happy I could have helped you - she said with a smile - if you need anything, you know where to find me..." 

She closed her eyes, opened them again and added: "… Fuji!"

* * *

On the last day of their stay at Amaya's mansion, they did some sliding, using the little slopes of the mountain as toboggans. Some people, like Momo and Takasan, went skiing for the last time. Fuji also was feeling good enough to go out, and took a large amount of pictures with his camera. Eiji dragged Harumi and Amaya into the making of another snowman. 

The sky was blue and it wasn't too cold. Everyone had a great time.

But their day wasn't over with just that. The main surprise was when Atobe Keigo came to the mansion, comfortably seated among the furs on a sleigh led by white dog-wolves. When Chiharu saw him, she almost died from happiness.

When he arrived, everyone was in fact inside the mansion, preparing to start packing. Atobe walked into the house like a king, and once arrived at the fireplace room, snapped his fingers to catch everyone's attention.

"Behold, minna, for ore-sama has come!"

Chiharu let out a scream and rushed towards him.

"Atobe! Atobe!"

He caught her gracefully in his arms and planted a kiss on her forehead. Everyone's eyes were on them. Chiharu twisted with pleasure in her arms, very pleased of the sudden attention.

"When I called you, she said, I didn't know you were really serious about coming!"

"I am always serious!" He smirked.

Tezuka advanced to the front. When their eyes met, electricity seemed to pass between them.

"It has been a while, Tezuka." Atobe said.

"Yes. You should have come earlier. We are going back today."

"I just came to take a look at the place! Too bad this mansion doesn't even have tennis courts! And I thought you were all on some kind of special training! Guess my expectations were too high! Tezuka, you are slacking off!" He smirked and passed a hand over his grey blue hair.

"Hyotei has been working hard, you know? I'm looking forward to this summer's matches."

"Don't underestimate us, Atobe!" Chiharu said with a wink.

"Hn! We will see about that." He eyed Chiharu from head to toe. "But now is not the time to talk about tennis! Chiharu, you are looking lovely as usual. Why don't you come back with me?"

Chiharu's eyes were filled with stars. "Really? I'd love too! Wait, I'm going to pack my things!"

She ran upstairs. The rest of the Seigaku people were still silent, with their mouths a little open.

Harumi poked Amaya on the arm. "He's the hot but arrogant type, right?"

"Hot but arrogant, right." Amaya said.

Soon after, Chiharu had come back with her bags. She had put on her best coat, her leather gloves and her high boots. Her red hair was pinned up in a bun, and her green eyes were shining more than usual. She looked like a real woman. Atobe nodded his appreciation upon seeing her and gave her him arm. Chiharu took it and together they walked out.

"Neeeh, that's some hot couple, it sure is!" Momo said.

"Maybe we should follow them to see what they are up to, neh, ochibi?" Eiji said excitedly.

Echizen turned his back to his senpai. "Don't want to."

"Meanie!"

Eiji ran alone to the door. As he peeked outside, he felt Momo and Fuji's presence beside him.

"Nya, they are off! Look!"

Atobe had helped Chiharu onto the sleigh and had sat down beside her. The sleigh's driver was some giant that the three guys recognized at once.

"Kabaji!" They exclaimed.

Atobe threw a last glance at the castle; his voice carried to them clearly as he said:

"This castle's structure lacks in sophistication. Ore-sama's winter cottage is much more delicate. Neh, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

The dogs began to move on his command, and soon they were out of sight. Eiji giggled.

"So romantic!" Momo mused.

"This is interesting." Fuji said as he took out his cell phone and began to dial a number on it.

Momo and Eiji looked at each other. "Fujiko is serious, nya!"

"He sure is! He's already calling his contacts back home to make them follow Atobe and Chiharu."

"We will soon have more information, nya!"

Momo and Eiji looked at each other and smirked.

* * *

Ah, this chapter took me longer than usual! but anyway, its here now!! hope you liked it! 

**JayleeJ:** lol, yeah, sometimes it happens that i write my chapters super duper fast, and then the pace goes down. well, all i can say is that its all a matter of inspiration and whether i get lazy or not, haha. oh yeah, who doesnt have problems, after all? Sayuri, huh? you will know more about her in future episodes. for the syusuke thing, it doesnt matter if he didnt know who it was. he just wanted to say that to the person who was protecting him. thanks for ur review! it was awesome!

**angelOfdestiny:** lol, actually when i wrote that passage, i just watched an episode with Fuji in it, so i was in the MOOD. :p

**Anime 300:** yup, my puzzle-like fic is trying to put everything together at this stage. Major plot coming up next, too!! thanks for reading and reviewing!

**White Alchemist Taya:** Fuji's past is gonna be a troublesome thing, yeah. :p

**Squoosh:** experience, right! thanks a lot for your review and your encouragements, lol! i hope my writing and story telling will improve in the near future, too! i agree that Fuji really needs to let someone in, but him being him, and also seeing what happened to him, thats going to be his biggest challenge in life! haha, needles are hateful things alright! well, hope you liked this chapter! thanks for reading!

**Crazy bubbling blonde:** thanks a lot! somehow i had fun writing all that sad childhood stuff, haha. and no, im not being sadistic! not at all. Yeah, if u noticed, in this chapter Harumi does wonder what she should call him. Thanks for ur review!! take care!

**Morggie85:** that was a great analysis you just gave! im glad you liked the chapter! Lets hope Harumi will be able to make him change his mind about people. but life being life, nothing is never easy! lets see what happens, lol. and im glad you feel like you can relate to the story! thanks for ur review!!!

**fanXforever:** thanks for the review!! more Fuji fluff in this one, as well! hope you liked it!!

**Hajimari:** a new reader? welcome, nya!! lol. im glad you liked the chapter. i really had fun writing about Harumi and Fuji in the previous one and in this one as well!! they are kawaii together alright:p thanks for reviewing!


	15. The violin and the rose

**The violin and the rose**

An hour after the departure of Atobe and Chiharu, the usual bus came for the rest of the Seigaku teams. There was a fuss once more when Harumi's giant bag had to be loaded. She hadn't used the third of the things she had brought with her, and for that, she received Mai buchou's scolding for ten minutes.

They said good bye and thank you to Alphonse and the other servants who had come out to see them off. The young boy that Harumi had noticed came forth and gave a little package to her.

"It's… some food for the road, desu!" He stuttered.

"Ah, how nice of you! Arigatou gosaimasu!"

The boy bowed deeply.

"It's… it's my pleasure!"

His cheeks looked like they were going to fry when Harumi put a hand on his head and smiled. "What is your name?"

"Ah… ah… I… my name… Kyo, desu!"

"Well, Kyo-kun, thanks for everything! And I hope to see you again!"

Kyo's eyes shone. "Yeah, me too! Sayonara!"

This time, Harumi made sure she was among the first ones to get on the bus. She didn't want to renew her experience beside Inui. She got a seat near the window at the third row.

Naoki, Naoko, Chiharu, Aika, Tezuka, Takasan and Mai went to the back. Oishi and Amaya sat down behind her, and Echizen, Momo and Kaidoh in the rows in front of her.

_Oh crap, there he is! _

Inui was getting on the bus, notebook brandished, pen dancing on the sheet of paper. Going before him was Eiji, and Fuji was behind him. Harumi was determined to get Fuji this time, but her hopes shattered when Inui actually looked in her direction.

Harumi sweatdropped. He wasn't serious, was he?

"Hoi!! Tezuka! Reserve that seat for me, nya!" Eiji said loudly.

Harumi was sweating abundantly. Inui saw her and smirked. When he was one seat apart from her, he lifted a small bag he was carrying and started to put it on the seat beside her. Harumi's brain froze. She watched in horror as his bag started to land down in slow motion.

_That bastard! Is he for real? I won't let him!_

Her hand flew out and grabbed Eiji's coat. Using her all strength and speed, she pulled him towards her, making him land on the seat beside her. Because of the momentum, Eiji's back crashed into her. She barely felt it as she saw with high spirits that Inui's bag had stopped moving.

"Hoi?" A very confused Eiji blinked as in one second he passed from walking to sitting.

Inui stopped and looked at her. His glasses shimmered.

Harumi's arms tightened around Eiji as she said in a loud voice:

"Ah, Eiji! Good timing! How about you seat with me, neh?"

She smiled with flashy teeth. As she saw Inui retreat and start moving towards the back of the bus, she cheered and threw confetti inwardly. Because of that, she didn't notice that the whole bus was looking at her with smirks on their faces.

She was holding Eiji by the waist like one would hold a teddy bear. His back was completely pressed against her chest and her chin was half lying on his shoulder. Because of her position, she couldn't see that Eiji's face was as red as his hair.

"Ha… Harumi!" He staggered.

Harumi let him go, her smile never departing from her lips.

"Ah, gomen, gomen, Eiji! You will stay here, right?" She said while patting him on the shoulder.

"If you want… nya…"

"Huh? Eiji, your face is all red? Daijoubou?"

If possible, the redhead's face just got redder. For once, he was at loss for words.

"Ano… un! D…daijoubou!"

"Did you come down with something? Please don't tell me that after Fuji just got well, you decided to be sick?"

"I… Iie! I'm fine, nya!"

Harumi looked at him inquiringly. Eiji backed off. Fortunately for him, he was saved from further questioning by Fuji who just passed by.

Harumi looked up as he did so. She sighed inwardly. She had missed her chance with him again! But at least, being with Eiji was a LOT better than being with Inui.

In the meantime, Eiji was unconsciously rummaging through his bag, passing from one snack to another without even noticing. He was troubled. For the first time in his life, Kikumaru Eiji was feeling something he couldn't understand.

It was like a search. A search for something important. He didn't know he was looking for that special thing until the moment Harumi had embraced him, because at that moment he had felt closer to the answer than he ever was.

"I feel like… something is missing. And until I find it, I…"

He looked at Harumi, who was throwing discreet glances at Fuji, now seated beside Tezuka. He felt a burning in his stomach.

"I…"

Harumi's eyes widened as Fuji just smiled at something Chiharu said from the row in front of him. Eiji bit his lower lip.

The burning feeling increased.

"Harumi-chan! – he chanted – look what I have got here!"

Harumi finally took off her eyes from Fuji and looked at him. "Nani, Eiji?"

He brandished a package of chocolate bars in front of her eyes.

"It's snack time, nya!"

As she turned her attention to him fully, Eiji smiled at her.

* * *

Three days after Harumi and the rest of the gang came back to Tokyo, school started once again. On the morning of the first day, Harumi was sulkily drinking her milk and eating her eggs. Her mom was standing near the stove, preparing her midday bento. 

"I don't get it, she said with her mouth half full, winter break passed too fast. There's something fishy going on. I did nothing at all. Seems like yesterday that I handed that essay to my English teacher."

She swallowed and pursued: "As if things aren't bad enough the way they are already, I only remembered yesterday that my oral presentation in biology is today! So I had like less than 24 hours to prepare it! And besides, today is the first day of school. My brain is still on vacation, you know? I can't do this!"

Suddenly her mom was towering above her, menacing shadow against the early sun.

"You did your homework on the last day? Your brain is still on vacation? I hope you are not serious about all of this, young girl! You can't afford to fail this year, understood?"

Harumi sweatdropped and almost choked to death on her piece of bread.

"Hai, Mom!"

One second later, her mom was in the kitchen again, laughing gently.

"It always feels that way after vacation is over, doesn't it? But didn't you go on your ski stay? I remember that when you came back, you told me you had lots of fun."

Harumi narrowed her eyes at her mom's sudden change of mood. She finished her breakfast and brought the dishes to the kitchen.

"Yeah, I wished it could have lasted longer."

Truth be told, she hasn't seen Fuji since she got off the bus and told him goodbye. Maybe she should call him or something. But really, she didn't have a reason to call him. Besides, she was going to see him at school, today. Thinking about that, the perspective of going back to classes didn't seem as grim as before.

"Oh crap, I'm so freaking late!" she whispered to herself as she looked at her watch.

"Here! Don't forget your bento!" Her mom said from the kitchen.

Harumi put on her coat, took her lunch and exited the house. One minute later, she was back again, swearing under her breath and thundering upstairs. She got to her room, took the panel she had made for her science presentation along with several sheets of paper. She hurried downstairs again.

It wasn't as cold as before, and it was certainly less cold than up in the mountains. Harumi hesitated before putting her scarf on, but then finally did it just in case it would get colder in the evening.

"By the way mom, where's oniichan?"

"Oh, he left early with a friend! You will see him at school!"

"…not! – she muttered to herself – I thought that lazy ass was still asleep."

On her way to school, she passed over the bridge underneath which Fuji was trying to get rid of his thoughts about his sick sister, along time ago, it seemed. She looked under it, but there was no one there today. She continued further into the city, and started to climb up the little hill on which Seigaku was situated. On her way there, a jogging Kaidoh passed beside her, hissing every now and then.

"Ohayo, Kaidoh-san!" She called.

Kaidoh looked back and hissed his greeting back to her. She sweatdropped. He was just so weird!

She was getting really tired, and her panel kept on slipping in her hands. Several other students passed her by, talking among themselves.

She reaffirmed her grip on the panel and the sheets of paper and her bento and her bag, and continued to climb, panting with the effort.

"Who's… the freak… who built… the school…at the top… of a freaking…HILL?" She muttered between each breath.

Her boot caught on a hole in the road and she stumbled forward. She fell on her knees and lost her grip on the sheets of paper. A gust of wind scattered them in the air. She stretched a hand to catch them, but there was no use.

"No way!" she screamed.

Suddenly, a red flash gushed forth from out of nowhere and launched itself up in the air, right among her flying sheets of paper. Then, she saw a hand extended towards her in front of her face.

"Need help, Harumi-chan?"

Confused, she took his hand, allowing him to pull her on her feet.

"Ah, Oishi! Thanks a lot!" She said while dusting off her coat.

"Okay! All done, nya!" She heard another familiar voice beside her.

She turned around to see Eiji smiling and handing her the sheets of paper.

"As quick as ever, Eiji! – she exclaimed – thanks! You guys rock!"

"Let me take this for you!" Someone else said while taking the panel from her.

"Amaya! Where did you come from?"

Amaya's green eyes smiled. "I was with Kikumaru and Oishi! You sure don't pay much attention to your surroundings, Harumi! Why are you in such a hurry?"

"What? What do you mean why? Classes start… - she looked at her watch – now!"

"Huh?" Amaya looked down at her own watch. "We still have twenty minutes."

"That's right! It's only 7:40, nya!"

Harumi's eyes became two dots. She laughed dispiritedly. "My watch was in advance?" She fell on her knees again. "Why do these things always happen to me?"

Still, she was happy that her friends had showed up to help her out. As the four of them walked together, Oishi was talking about the tennis tournaments in the summer.

"I sure miss them!" Eiji said.

"Yeah, for sure. Eiji, we should come up with a doubles formation. I'm sure that's what Ryuzaki-sensei has in mind, as well."

"You know – Amaya said – I think I read somewhere about an Australian formation."

"Australian Formation?" Eiji and Oishi both asked.

"It's when the players position themselves in a straight line, with the server at the baseline and his partner at the net. After the ball is served, they move diagonally in relation to each other either to the right or to the left. But to do that correctly, the players must be in sync."

Oishi scratched his head. "Well, it does sound pretty complicated."

"Don't mind! Don't mind! I'm sure we will be able to pull it off somehow, Oishi!" Eiji said confidently with one eye closed.

"Ah, you are right, Eiji!"

"That's why you are called the Golden Pair, right?" Harumi said with a smile. She didn't understand much about Australian formations or doubles in general, but she was interested in seeing them play a match.

"That's right, nya! We will go to the Nationals this summer! And we will be number ONE!" Eiji punched his fist in the air.

"I will be there to cheer for you guys!" Harumi said.

"Cheer? – Amaya sighed – you will have no time for that, Harumi! We will have our own tournaments!"

Harumi sweatdropped. "Ah, that's right. I almost forgot about them!"

When they were almost at the school entrance, a car passed them by and stopped in front of the building. Harumi stopped when she saw Fuji getting out of the car. He was in his black uniform, like all the guys in Seigaku, but in her eyes, he looked more handsome than all the others.

She felt like she hasn't seen him in ages, even though it was only three days. Fuji took his school bag and his tennis bag out of the car. Then, he went to the driver's side and leaned in to say something to the person behind the wheel. Harumi moved slightly to the left and felt she skies thundering when she saw it was a woman!

And pretty darn hot one, too! Fuji was smiling when he spoke to her. And finally, he kissed her on the cheek. Harumi as if she had just taken an icy shower.

A name kept on popping in her mind: Sayuri.

The car started moving and left. Fuji turned around and saw them. He waved his hand to greet them. Oishi, Eiji and Amaya hurried up to meet up with him. Harumi was standing where she was, frozen on the spot.

"Harumi-chan!" Fuji called out to her.

At the sound of his voice, she snapped out of it and ran towards them. When she caught up, she ignored the smile Fuji was directing in her direction and pulled Amaya away from the group.

"Who on earth was that chick?" She asked in an urgent voice.

She kept on expecting replies like: "Oh, that was his ex-girlfriend!" or "Someone called Sayuri, I think." Or "I don't know but she and Fuji make a cute couple, right?" or…

"Ah – Amaya giggled behind her hand – you mean Yumiko-chan? That's Fuji's older sister."

Harumi felt her jaw drop. Then she sighed. Suddenly the sun was shining again and she could breathe freely.

"Oh I see! So that's how it is! Of course, shame on me for not recognizing her! I'm glad she's feeling better after all the fuss last month!"

"Harumi, were you worried?"

"Worried? What are you talking about? No, not at all. I'm fine! It's a beautiful day isn't it?"

She left while humming something to herself. Amaya watched her leave, sweatdropping a little.

* * *

It was the end of the day and classes were over. Amaya ran down the stairs as fast as she could. At the door, she saw one single silhouette leaning against the wall, waiting for her. 

"Gomen, Oishi! Did I make you wait for long?"

"Daijoubou! How was your day?"

"Not bad! So, are you ready?"

Oishi scratched his head. "Ano… how should I put this… I'm sorry Amaya, but… we can't go today. I ran into Tezuka this morning and he said that we have practice in the gym." He said in a pleading voice.

Amaya frowned. "Really? Why? Isn't it a bit harsh to impose that to you guys on the first day of school?"

Oishi sighed. "Apparently, that talk with Atobe about us slacking off didn't leave him as insensitive as it seemed. But it's a good thing that we are training. We will definitely beat Hyotei next time!"

Amaya's frown lasted for a little longer before transforming into a smile. "Ganbatte, Oishi!" The Seigaku regular brightened up.

"Ah! I will treat you to ramen tomorrow to make up for today, I promise!"

Amaya let her bag fall down to the ground and put her arms around him. After a moment of surprise, Oishi closed his arms around her as well. He was happy to have her by his side.

"It's a promise, Oishi?"

"Yes, it is."

The sound of footsteps set them apart. It was Harumi approaching, and she seemed pretty mad about something.

"Harumi-chan? What's wrong?"

She looked up, startled by the sound of Oishi's voice. Resting an arm on her hip, she growled: "Well, it just happens that the papers I took this morning for my science oral aren't the good ones. Of course, these things have to happen to me! And since I don't want to get a zero and that the teacher isn't willing to give me one more day, I have to go home and look for them and then go to her office and do my presentation!"

She delivered the whole speech in a furious tone.

"I… I see!" Oishi and Amaya said with a confused grin.

"Geez, this is just NOT happening…" she muttered while walking off.

Oishi and Amaya looked a moment in her direction before laughing.

"That's just so typical of Harumi-chan!" Oishi said.

"Hai."

"Oh, before I forget, you do remember that there's the Winter Carnival this weekend, don't you?"

Amaya winked. "Of course I do! How could I forget?"

"Then… ano… Amaya-chan, would you like to go with me?"

Amaya blushed. "O… Oishi! It's the Carnival! Then, it means that you..."

Oishi nodded gently, his cheeks a slight shade of pink. Amaya's lips widened in a happy smile as she jumped into his arms. "Then answer is obvious, silly! You can count me in for the weekend. For now, you better go to your practice or Tezuka is gonna get in the laps mood!" Amaya said, laughing.

"Saa, I guess you are right!"

He gave her one last hug before leaving. "Ja ne, Amaya!"

* * *

Two hours later, Harumi came by the empty tennis courts, walking in a tired pace. All the snow from the previous storm had melted. The grounds looked dark and forlorn.

Harumi stared up at the grey and cloudy sky. She had finally done her presentation alone in the teacher's office. She was so nervous that she had forgotten to say certain things. She just hoped that her sensei hadn't noticed her nervousness, but knowing her luck, that was a hopeless thought.

She just wished that her grade wouldn't be too bad. After all, even though she hated it when her parents pointed out that she needed to work harder, she knew they were right. She didn't want to fail at her new school. But the thing was, even though she had a sincere desire to work, she just had too many other things going on. The life of a teenage girl wasn't easy.

She turned away from the tennis' courts and headed home. The first day was worse than she had expected. Her whole body felt tired and she kept on spacing out. The thing that brought her back to reality was the sound of a car horn. For a moment, she stood still, not looking in the direction of the sound, still trying to analyze its nature.

Then, she finally realized she was in the middle of an intersection and that a truck was coming her way. Her eyes widened.

A grip on her arm pulled her back with a jerk and one second later she was in someone's arms. As her gaze met two familiar eyes, she felt that person's arms closing in on her in a protective way.

"What are you doing, Harumi-chan? It's dangerous to be spacing out when you are crossing the street!"

"Gomen, Fuji!"

She blinked twice, still confused. Then, as sudden as a flash of lightning, her heart twisted in a weird way, rendering her all weak in the knees. Fuji strengthened his hold on her arms, worried that she may fall down.

Harumi inhaled sharply and pushed him away more harshly than she had intended to. She was troubled by that sudden burning feeling that had invaded her heart. She knew Fuji had the power to make her all weak inside, but it had never been this intense before. Maybe it was because of the fact that he had caught her off guard this time.

She blushed at the roughness of her act and quickly apologized.

"Don't mention it! You are going home, right? Then, how about I walk with you for a bit?"

Harumi nodded absent mindedly. The way he had held her had made her feel really safe for the first time in a long time. It had made her really happy as well. She just didn't understand this happiness at all. It was different from the one she experienced while laughing with her friends. It was different from the one she felt when her Mom was reading stories to her when she was little. It was different than playing tennis, getting good grades at school or eating delicious food. It was a new kind of happiness that had just turned her life into a kaleidoscope of colors.

This feeling made her enchanted and afraid at the same time.

They had been walking in silence for a while when, suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she saw something glimmering. She frowned, trying to see that thing better, and caught a quick glimpse of Inui's glasses before he turned around and ran away. So Inui saw the whole thing! A vein started pulsing on her forehead. For a moment, she thought about chasing him and blackmailing him or something.

But she thought that these precious minutes with Fuji were more important, so she let Inui go. For the time being, anyway.

And so they continued to walk in silence on the crowded street. Sometimes, Harumi would see couples passing them by. They were all huddled together or holding hands. They all looked happy compared to the people walking by themselves. Harumi would never really know these happy people. They were fragments of other lives just passing her by on the street.

She wondered if Fuji and her looked like a couple as well. She threw a quick glance at his hand swinging gently by his side as he walked. She wondered what he would do if she took it in hers. She looked at his calm expression. He was so close and yet so far.

Suddenly, their hands brushed against each other's. Harumi stopped breathing for a second, but Fuji never showed that it meant something. Maybe it was just an accident, after all.

"Neh, Harumi-chan?"

"Y-yes?"

"You know about the Winter Carnival this weekend, right?"

"Winter Carnival? No, I haven't heard of it."

"Ah, really? Well, it's a carnival we hold over here every year. It's pretty popular. It lasts for a whole week, starting this Saturday."

Harumi was interested now.

"It sounds like fun! What can you do over there?"

"Saa, many things. There will be games like treasure hunts, and different competitions to win prizes. And… let me see… yes! A show will be held outside, and a concert inside the main building."

"Really? It's so nice!"

He smiled. "Yes, it sure is. Actually, would you like to come?"

Harumi's heart skipped a beat. She looked at him, and saw him smiling gently, waiting for her answer.

_Could it be… a date? _

At this mere thought, she blushed so violently that she thought her face was going to be on fire. '

"You… want me to go to the Carnival with you?" She had to ask. She just couldn't believe his words.

Fuji nodded. "Of course, if you have other plans…"

"Absolutely none! – she cut him abruptly – I… I'd love to, Fuji! I… arigato!"

She stopped walking and bowed deeply. Fuji laughed. "Now, you didn't need to do that!"

"I-I will be looking forward to it, then!" She had never felt so happy in her entire life. She just got on a date with Fuji Syusuke!

She even felt like giving him a hug, but restrained herself. They would have all the time they needed to develop their relationship further on the day of the date!!!

"So, when are we going there?" She asked shyly.

"Ah, how about Saturday? They have a very nice opening program on the first day!"

Harumi smiled with such happiness that it seemed to lighten up her whole face. To her disappointment, she saw her house coming into view at the corner of the street. The walk to her house never seemed so short.

"Okay! Then I will be there on Saturday morning! I'm really happy that I will see all the nice things you described to me! And thank you for walking me home! Ja ne, Fuji!"

Fuji smiled and waved his hand. Harumi waved back at him and run to her house, feeling as if wings had suddenly grown on her back.

That evening, Harumi ate her vegetables without complaining and even proposed to wash the dishes. Her mom and dad looked at each other, wondering why their daughter was acting so weird all of a sudden.

Katsuo eyed suspiciously the dreamy expression plastered all over his sister's face. For some reason, he didn't like that look.

"Onee-chan, you forgot to wash that dish over there! Geez, if you want to do things, at least do them properly!"

He expected an acid remark from her sister for that, but Harumi just smiled and started washing the dish he had just pointed out.

"I got it, Katsuo!" She said happily.

He frowned. Something was definitely up, and he, Katsuo Yamazaki, would figure it out before the night was over. Just at that moment, the phone rang. Katsuo picked it up sulkily.

"Moshi moshi?" He groaned. After a moment, he tapped Harumi's shoulder with the phone.

"It's for you! Hurry up and pick it up!"

"Okay!" With her eternal smile, she dried her hands on her apron and took the phone.

"Mushi mushi? Ah, what's up, Chiharu?"

"Yo, Harumi! I have a favor to ask!"

"Alright, just say it! I will see what I can do for you!"

"Neeeeh, you are awfully nice tonight, Haru!"

Harumi laughed whole heartily. "You really think so? That's great!"

"Yeah, anyway! I really need your help in maths! I don't understand anything! Actually, I don't even feel like understanding!"

There was a sigh at the other end of the phone.

"Oh, if it's only that, I'd gladly do it for you! You are my friend after all!" Harumi said cheerfully, completely forgetting that she hated maths.

"You sure are being nice! Just what happened?"

"What do you mean, what happened?"

"Don't play dumb with me! I'm sure something good happened to you for you to be in such a good mood after the first day of class!"

Somehow, Harumi didn't feel like lying to her. She was even eager and excited to tell someone. She exited the kitchen and locked herself in her room.

"Well, you will never guess! I can't believe it myself, but it's true!"

"What? Tell me already, Harumi!"

Harumi made her wait for a little longer, and then she whispered into the phone:

"Fuji asked me to go to the Winter Carnival with him."

There was a very long silence, then Chiharu's scream pierced her ears.

"Nani, nani? You can't be serious! He… he did what? He asked you out to the Carnival?"

Harumi nodded fervently, then said: "Hai, that's what happened! It's wonderful, isn't it? A date with Fuji! Finally!"

"Harumi! It's not just ANY date! He asked you to the Carnival, so he will do _that_?"

"That? That what?"

"Oh my god, don't tell me that you don't know?"

"What?" She was starting to feel lost and her level of adrenaline was shooting up. "Don't know what? Tell me!"

Chiharu sighed. "Well, it's just a story concerning an ice sculpture inside the main building. It's a boring love story. I'm sure people made it up. There is no way it can be true. Anyway, that doesn't stop innocent couples to believe in it."

Harumi arched an eyebrow. She didn't know what it had to do with her.

"So? What does this have to do with my date?"

"Oh my God, I'm surprised that you really don't know the story. Well, it's just an old tradition. If a boy asks a girl out to the Winter Carnival, then it means that he is going to confess to her! And according to the story, if they kiss under the sculpture, then their love will be immortalized and transcend time and space. And you know what? Oishi had just asked Amaya out to the Winter Carnival! Amaya is so excited! It's so funny!"

Harumi didn't hear the last part of her speech at all.

"C-c-confess? As in... saying "I love you"? As in... that's impossible! It's... it's too soon for that! I-I'm sure that Fuji has no intention..."

Chiharu chuckled. "Well, you never know what that guy is thinking! Maybe he has liked you for a long, long time!"

Harumi blushed thoroughly. "I-impossible! Naoki told me he couldn't like anyone!"

She could almost sense Chiharu's frown from the other side of the line. "Well, that's only because Fuji rejected her friend a year ago! It just means that he didn't like that particular girl. There's no way that he is as cold hearted as Naoki says he is!"

"You think so too?" Harumi asked hopefully.

"Of course! Besides, I saw the rejection coming, you know? The girl knew nothing about Fuji. I can count the times she has spoken to him on the fingers of a hand! So how do you think Fuji would react if a perfect stranger came to him and said that she loved him? He can't possibly return her feelings, right?"

Harumi nodded until she thought her head would come off. "Of course! It all makes sense now! So that's what it was all about!"

"Yup, that's what it was all about."

There was a brief silence.

"Neh, Chiharu? What is the story surrounding the sculpture?"

A sigh. "I must warn you. It's extremely cheesy."

"Moo, just tell me already!"

"Alright, alright! Well, you see, inside the building where the competitions are held, there is this ice carving of a flower beside a violin, which supposedly represents the story of the legendary lovers who are able to grant eternal love. Basically, the boy was a farmer who wanted to become a musician, and the girl was his childhood friend who had an incurable disease. One day they met and fell in love. The girl wanted to see the boy's dream come true before she died because her only wish was for the boy to achieve his goal and to be happy. She would constantly tell the boy that his happiness was her happiness. So, the boy worked hard day and night to earn money and take music lessons. One day, he found work in the city, and the girl prompted him to leave the farm. They said goodbye to each other, and the boy promised to come back when the roses would bloom in the fields. A year passed, and then another. The boy had finally become a professional and owned his own violin. He managed to return home by the budding season, but the girl had passed away months ago. And so crushed under sorrow, he climbed up on the mountains where she often went to look at wild roses. There, love guided his hands as he played their song on the violin, and as he did, he prayed that she would be with him once again. Her spirit was called back to this world. She couldn't stay, but said that her soul would live on forever in the roses of the field. Therefore, in order to be with her again, the boy sacrificed his own life and on a last note, he dropped dead beside his violin. Even now, the music of a violin is eternally calling for its lover as it sings the beauty and grace of the flower. Couples who confess under that carving will find happiness together forever."

Chiharu sighed. After listening to it, Harumi thought that it was a traditional love story, but nonetheless beautiful.

Chiharu laughed on the other end of the phone. "And so the story goes. But you know how it is with this kind of things. They are a bunch of nonsense, most of the time."

_Music and flowers… the violin and the rose…_

"Anyway – Chiharu pursued – I have to go! Don't forget about your promise! I will be counting on you for tomorrow for math, okay?"

"Hai." Harumi answered distractedly. Then, she hung up and rolled on her bed, eyes facing the ceiling.

_Fuji… what is this? Are you really going to confess to me? _

* * *

Eiji was running on the streets, dashing past pedestrians and cars. He was late for his meeting with Momo and Oishi. They were going to eat outside tonight and then hang out together for awhile. 

"Nya… nya… wait for a little longer, guys! I'm coming!"

He jumped over a cat curled up against the wall, and then over a garbage can. Running like that made him happy. He felt somewhat free.

After turning at the corner of a building, he saw them at last. Panting, he slowed down and walked towards them, one hand raised in greeting. However, neither Momo nor Oishi noticed him as they were listening to what a read headed girl was saying.

"Nya? Why is Chiharu-chan here?"

As he got closer, he finally heard their conversation.

"Are you 100 percent sure about this, Chiharu-chan?" Oishi asked.

"Guys! I told you! She told me herself!"

"I can't believe it! I just can't!" Momo mumbled while passing a hand on his neck.

"Who knew Fuji would do it one day?"

"Well, he's a mysterious guy! I'm kinda excited about it though – Chiharu jumped a little – neh, neh, let's follow them on Saturday!"

"Chiharu-san!" Oishi protested.

"What? Don't tell me you don't want to know, Oishi senpai." Momo complained.

"Well, that is to say…"

"I knew it! Then it's settled! Let's meet at 10 on Saturday!" Chiharu decided.

Eiji was confused. He was about to speak up when Momo said:

"Man, Fuji confessing to Harumi during the Winter Carnival! I just don't believe it!"

Eiji gasped.

_Fuji... confessing to Harumi? So he likes her just like she likes him?_

Just what was that tearing feeling inside of himself? He didn't understand it, but it hurt. It hurt a lot.

"Ah, Eiji, there you are!"

Somehow, he managed to smile his usual smile. "Hello guys!"

"Well, I will see you later!" Chiharu winked and then left. Momo and Oishi leaned closer and started talking about the whole thing again. None of them noticed Eiji's face hidden under the shadows, his hair hanging in front of his eyes as he silently listened to Momo and Oishi debating on whether Fuji would say it nor not.

* * *

alright!! here i am again. finally!! school started this tuesday and so my life is more complicated now! i wrote this longer chapter because i dont know when the next one is gonna come up. Im sure i wont be able to keep my pace of one chapter per week, but dont worry!! it wont take months either! 

I hope you enjoyed it! See you soon!

PS : of course, how could i forget to thank all of you who had reviewed so far? arigato for reading, liking, and commenting! i know i havent replied to ur reviews this time, but next time i will do it for sure! im trying to buy my books right now so im kinda busy! the next time i post, i will reply to both ur reviews for chapters 14 and 15!!! till then, take care, minna!


	16. Misunderstanding

omg, i intended to post this chapter much earlier in the day, but the site just messed up completely and all my updates were erased!!!!!! grrr, i was actually really pissed cause i just lost like one hour of hard work. anyways, here it goes again... i hope this time it will go smoothly!! but seriously, sometimes i just hate ff! --

* * *

**Misunderstanding**

The news of Fuji going out with Harumi spread at the academy like a plague. By the end of school week, everyone who knew who Fuji and Harumi were, knew also that they were going to the Carnival together. And since Fuji was the tennis tensai, it meant that three quarters of the school knew everything.

Wherever she went, Harumi could sense curious stares, quick whispers and even deadly stares from Fuji's fan girls, all directed her way. She felt like some alien plant being scrutinized under a giant microscope, which resulted in her skipping most of her classes for the sake of getting away from all these people.

"If I knew it was going to be like this, I would have thought twice before accepting his date proposal!" She complained to the bathroom wall.

However, she knew that deep inside, she was cheering and throwing victory parties. Even though she had to put up with the whole mess, she didn't regret one bit for going on a date with the guy she liked.

So, how was Fuji coping with the whole thing? He was naively unaware of it all, of course. He didn't notice the more frequent stares in his direction, nor the whispers among groups of students leaning against the walls behind the school. Or he just acted like he didn't notice. After all, it would be another three hundred years before anyone could read what was going on in Fuji Syusuke's mind.

Harumi's last class of the day, which was music class, finally drove to an end, much to the young girl's relief. The teacher had forced them to sing for an entire hour, and now the only thing she wanted was to get a juice from the cafeteria. However, she hesitated before actually going there, because she knew some of her alleged "friends" were bound to be there, gossiping while waiting for her.

Indeed, Amaya and the rest of the gang were more like vultures these days, not at all ashamed to peck at her, extracting any bit of information they could. She learned quickly enough that Chiharu was the one who started the whole thing, since she was the first one to whom she had told the news. Hating the red head wouldn't do her any good, so now the only thing she could do was to be extra careful around her.

She passed her head over the cafeteria entrance and peeked inside. She tried to pick up the red hair of Chiharu among the swarm of students, but didn't see her around. Sighing with relief, she went to the counter and asked for an orange juice. When she was about to pay, she accidentally dropped her coin.

"Ah, gomen!" She said while bending over to pick it up.

However, someone was faster than her and was already giving it to her. Her eyes met the dark blue ones of Kikumaru Eiji.

"Thanks, Eiji!" She said, relieved that it was him.

As astonishing as it may seem, Eiji was the only one who hadn't asked her anything about her date, and for that reason, he was the only one she could stand at the moment. She really appreciated the normal conversations and the casual pranks that she could have with him.

"That's how you recognize a true friend, hm!" She said to herself.

"Are you done for today, Harumi?" Eiji asked.

"No, I have tennis practice with Mai buchou at the gym, but I'm thinking of skipping it."

Eiji didn't ask why, since obviously he knew.

"But, are you sure it's a good idea? I mean, you have been skipping practices for the last three days, nya?"

Harumi sighed. "It can't be helped! Anyway, after tomorrow, it's all gonna be over, so basically I can say that the worst is behind me!"

She drank half of her juice in mere seconds. "Ahh, this is good! So, back to what I was saying, I can't believe these people! It's like they don't have a life or something! You are the only one who never asks me anything."

She threw him a curious glance. "Which I appreciate a lot, by the way. But why?"

Eiji closed one eye and said: "Well, I can start asking questions too, if you want!"

"Eh! Stop teasing me, Eiji!" Harumi looked at him, falsely serious.

Eiji puffed. "Oh well, I won't do anything that will make you unhappy, nya! Since you don't want people to ask you questions, I won't!"

Harumi was surprised for a second, but then smiled and ruffled his hair teasingly. "Good answer, Kikumaru-san! I knew you were a good friend, not like Naoko and the others!"

"Ah, Harumi, there you are! We were looking for you everywhere!". An all too familiar voice echoed in her ears.

Harumi turned around wearily only to see Naoko making her way towards her, a big smile on her face.

"Speaking of the devil…" She muttered. "Ok, this is official crap. Now what?"

Eiji closed his hand on her wrist. "Come this way!" He said before pulling her on a sprint across the cafeteria.

"Ano… Eiji?" Harumi said while letting him pull her away from a now running Naoko. To Harumi's luck, Naoko ended up bumping into another girl, making her drop her food tray.

"Seems like some luck is on my side today." Harumi stated, her legs running in spite of herself.

Soon, they were out of the building and going along the tennis courts. If Harumi thought for an instance that she was out of trouble, she soon reconsidered that thought.

"Double crap! Amaya is there with Aika! They saw us!"

"Hurry up! They have to cross the tennis courts. We will be long gone before they reach us! Hoi!"

Harumi increased her speed by a notch. Sprinting beside Eiji, they were soon out of the school grounds.

"I think…we dumped them!" Harumi said while panting. Since Eiji's hand was still on her wrist, she couldn't do much but to run alongside him.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"Beats me!"

"Beats you? But…"

Eiji looked back at her and winked. "Just run for now, okay? We will arrive somewhere, for sure!"

"Well, that's obvious…"Harumi gave up on reasoning with him and just closed her mouth and ran. Soon, she wasn't cold anymore as sweat started to run down her back and forehead. She hasn't run like that for… what? Since she was a child?

"Ah, we are here!" Eiji said, panting, as he finally let go of her hand.

Harumi rested her hands on her knees for awhile to catch her breath, and then looked up.

"Huh? What is this? A giant recycle bin or something?"

"Nah, it's a container! No one will find us here!"

Eiji looked happily around him. It seemed like a place he usually came to.

"Come!"

"Huh?" Harumi saw that he was climbing at the top of the green container. She joined him there and looked in front of her, awed.

She could see the entire city from where she was. The sky above her stretched to the horizon, infinitely big and beautiful.

There were no sounds except for their calm breathing.

"Sugoi! This is really a good place!"

"Yeah! Oishi and I come here all the time! It is peaceful, isn't it?"

Harumi blinked. "Then… is it okay for me to be here? I mean, if this place is your and Oishi's sanctuary…"

"Don't mind, don't mind! You are my friend, so you can be here too!"

Eiji winked and then lied down on his back to look at the sky.

"Well, at least we got rid of them." Harumi said quietly, appreciating these few moments of peace.

She imitated Eiji and lied down beside him. The clouds in the sky moved slowly, drifting gently towards where the wind guided them. It felt good to be there.

After a long time, or maybe a short one, Eiji said quietly.

"Tomorrow is the big day, neh?"

"Hai."

She thought about Fuji and felt her heart speeding. Tomorrow was Saturday, the day of her date. She didn't know what she was going to wear yet. And should her put make-up on? Should she make lunch for him?

Of course, all her friends had been giving her all sorts of advice. Chiharu said that her physical appearance was really important. She should try to look nicer than usual. Naoko advised her to not say any unnecessary things and to make the conversation always on subjects that they both enjoy. Naoki said to make a plan in her head for the whole date, in case they end up short of ideas, which would be really embarrassing. Even Aika added that she should get rid of her stupid habits, or else Fuji would dump her in no time. Well, Aika was being her nice self, as usual.

And Amaya told her to just be herself, which she didn't understand. How was she to do that?

"It must be nice, neh?" Eiji said, cutting the trend of her thoughts.

"Huh? Nani?"

"I mean… it must be nice to go out with the person you like."

Harumi brightened up. "For sure! I've been waiting for this moment like forever! I just can't believe he asked me on a date! I always thought it was a lost cause, especially with that Naoki telling me over and over again that it will never work out, etc. She was so wrong!"

Harumi smiled.

"Of course it will work out! – Eiji said in a happy voice – Fujiko is one of my best friends! I'm sure you will have a great date with him!"

"Thanks, Eiji!"

"I'm happy that you two are finally going out! You like him, right?"

Harumi nodded fervently. "Since I first saw him, I think! It was on that really cold day, and we were doing laps, and he was the first regular who welcomed me here! He's always so nice! And he always helps me out when I need it the most! To tell the truth… he's everything I ever wanted… Ah, gomen! I'm rambling again!"

"It's okay!"

Harumi felt a little embarrassed to have said such things, but it felt so normal to be with Eiji that she had just let them slip.

Harumi lifted herself up on one elbow and looked at him; something on his face made her frown a little. For one second, she thought she saw sadness in those dark blue eyes, but then, as he turned towards her and smiled, it disappeared.

"So… how about you, Eiji? Do you have anyone you like?" She said, hoping to change the subject.

Eiji blushed a little. "N… not really."

"Aha! Liar, liar! Who is it? Tell me?"

Eiji sat up to get away from her burning gaze. Harumi couldn't believe what she was seeing!

_So Eiji likes someone!? How come? He never talks about it._

She was happy for her friend, and also excited to be the first one to learn the news. Of course, she wouldn't tell anyone because she respected other people's privacies, unlike some girls she knew… She leaned in closer to him, urging him to tell her, and laughed inwardly as she saw his face turning into a slight shade of pink.

"There is no one, I already told you…" Eiji mumbled.

"That's impossible! You are all red! You can't lie to me! Come on, I won't tell anyone, I promise!"

Eiji stood up to get away from her. Harumi watched his back for awhile, thinking of how she could persuade him. It's weird, _Eiji is usually not the kind of guy who refuses to open up. It must be someone I know, then. But I'll make him tell me, for sure! _

She stood up and took his arm.

"Eiji-kun! – she chanted - I will treat you to some donuts and chocolate today if you tell me!"

Eiji mumbled something.

"What did you say?" – she came closer – you have to speak louder if you want those chocolates…"

"Stop it! There is no one!" Eiji said in a tone she had never heard him use before. As he turned around to look at her, his eyes were serious.

Harumi gasped and stepped back. She had never seen him mad before. Eiji, seeing the expression on her face, let his eyes soften.

"There is no one – he repeated in a gentler tone – it's true! Believe me, nya."

Harumi nodded, feeling guilty. "Gomen nasai. I... I was wrong to force you to answer that question in the first place. You have always respected my privacy. I'm sorry, Eiji."

Eiji passed a hand on his neck, looking embarrassed. "Ha, just forget about it already, Harumi! I'm sorry I yelled."

Harumi sighed in relief. The ambiance felt less heavy than before.

"Oh, look, the sun is setting."

"You are right!"

They watched the sky become purple and red as the sun slowly descended upon the city. Everything looked peaceful and beautiful. The world seemed to be without trouble, but if at that instant Harumi had turned her eyes off from the setting sun to look at her friend standing beside her, she would have seen sadness and confusion in those dark blue eyes.

* * *

Harumi looked around her. She had never seen this portion of the street so beautifully decorated and so crowded with all sorts of people. There was music coming from some trumpets and guitars that were out of her sight.

The day was a little chilly, but the sun was high up in the sky, so it wasn't as cold as she had feared. There was no snow on the streets, but the ambiance was no less merry. It felt like it was Christmas all over again, only in the month of February.

Fuji had said to wait for him at the entrance, but where exactly was the entrance? She walked back several steps to get away from the people, and saw little colourful lanterns hanging from two big pillars some five meters away from her.

"So that must be the main entrance to the street. How could I have missed those?"

She walked towards them, squeezing her way among the cheering and singing crowd. At one point, a clown came near her, joggling with balls, but Harumi ignored him and pursued her way. She finally came to the pillar at the left side of the street and breathed hard.

"Okay, one step done. Now, where is Fuji?"

"Harumi-chan! Over here!"

When she heard his familiar voice, her heart almost stopped.

_Okay, now it's finally the big moment, don't mess up! You have been waiting for this for so long! You have been dreaming about this for the whole past week! Your whole existence has led you to this special day, hour, minute, second. Don't mess up!_

That's right. She had spent hours choosing her clothes, wondering what color Fuji liked or disliked. Her coat was brand new, and was one of those long coats with a belt around the waist. She was wearing a soft looking blue scarf (to match with Fuji's eyes), and she had tied her hair with white ribbons. She was also wearing jeans and high brown boots.

She had spent the whole morning making the two bentos she was carrying in a small bag. She had made sure the food was at its best, and that her appearance was at its best as well. And now, before she turned around to face the guy she liked, she prepared herself mentally and breathed.

Finally, she gathered her courage and pivoted her body towards him.

And there he was, looking absolutely handsome in every way. He took out one hand from inside his coat pocket and waved at her. She came to his side.

"Fuji! I… I hope I didn't make you wait! I was a little bit lost! There sure are a lot of people in here!"

"Yes! It's a little bit overcrowded, but it's the first day of the Carnival, after all."

Harumi was in heaven. Her date was officially going to start.

"Ah, before I forget, let me introduce you to my brother and sister: Yuuta and Yumiko."

He made way and from behind him came a serious-looking boy with a little scar on one side of his forehead, followed by the beautiful girl that was driving the car the other day.

Harumi was a little confused. Where did those two come from? Nonetheless, she bowed and said:

"Yumiko-san, Yuuta-san, I am Harumi Yamazaki, nice to meet you!

The two siblings returned the greeting. Harumi then turned to Fuji. "So, shall we go?"

Fuji smiled. "Ah! Let's go!"

Fuji and Harumi started walking down the crowded street and Yuuta and Yumiko followed them. Harumi was feeling a little frustrated now. It was normal for the two siblings to come to the carnival as well, but couldn't they just go their own way? Because someone was trying to have a date here!

They walked pass the entrance and into the heart of the carnival. To both sides of them were smaller streets going in different directions, all filled with stands for diverse games. She could seea tall building erected some distance away from them, at the end of the main street. Yuuta and Yumiko were still trailing behind. Harumi refrained from throwing dark stares in their direction.

"Let me see… - Fuji said quietly to himself – it should be around here…"

Harumi looked around. There were only people and more people.

"Ah, there they are! Let's go, Harumi-chan!"

Harumi quickly followed him, excitement rising in her chest. However, the whole excitement thing faded to nothing when she recognized Kaidoh, Echizen, Tezuka, Mai, Amaya and the twin sisters.

"Sorry, we are a bit late!" Fuji declared with a smile.

Harumi was confused. What was going on? The others looked surprised for awhile too, before the arrival of Eiji, Oishi, Momo and Chiharu cut it off.

"Fuji senpai?" Momo said in surprise after throwing a quick inquiring glance at Harumi. "You… eto… came as well?"

"Why wouldn't I? We've all planned to meet here today, haven't we?"

"Sure thing, sure thing, but… - he threw another glance at Harumi – I thought you had changed your plans."

Fuji laughed. "What are you talking about? We do it every year, don't we?"

"Fsshhhh, can we just get going? This is annoying."

"Urusei!"

"Guys, guys, don't start!" Oishi pleaded.

Harumi wasn't hearing any of it.

_We've all planned to meet here today, haven't we?_

_Haven't we?_

_Haven't we?_

And then understanding washed over her. She felt her mouth going dry from disappointment as she realized Fuji had never stated it as a date. He just asked her if she wanted to come to the carnival as well, but he had never said "with him". She was just assuming it was a date because she had wished for it so hard in her heart. She felt stupid.

She could feel her friends' curious gazes on her back. Amaya came and took her arm.

"Harumi? I thought that you and…"

She pushed her away and ran into the crowd, tears flowing from her eyes, not caring where she was going, just trying to get away from the others, from her dream shattered to pieces in mere seconds, and especially, away from him.

"Fuji, you baka! You baka!"

People were shouting angry words at her as she pushed them aside.

"Oi! Look where you are going, girl!" A booming voice resonated in her ears before a hand pushed her back.

She fell on her side and cringed as she scratched her hand. She looked up and, through her tears, saw swarms of feet and legs passing her by, obscuring the sky to her sight. Merry voices and songs were booming from everywhere, but she felt distant from it all. A kid knocked her head as he ran past her, and one of her ribbons came loose; her hair fell on her face, blinding her.

After some time, she got up slowly and started walking. People who saw her whispered among themselves at this weird girl with messed up hair and clothes, and promptly got away from her. She walked until she was dizzy, and seeing an empty bench ahead of her, sat down on it.

_This is wrong. Fuji was supposed to go on a date with me. He was supposed to confess to me. This is wrong. _

She lowered her eyes and saw her little bag on her lap. Somehow, she hadn't let go of that for the entire time. She opened it and saw the two bentos lying neatly side by side.

The bentos were still warm. She took them out and impulsively walked to the nearest garbage can. As the bentos were hanging above it, she hesitated as she remembered how happy she was when she had made them.

"Fuji is going to eat this!" was all she could think of.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she pressed the bentos against her chest. Slowly, she came back to the bench and sat down. People, happy people, passed her by, so close she could hear their laughter and loving whispers, and yet so far that they could neither see her nor her tears.

* * *

Amaya was still standing where Harumi had left her. She didn't know what to do. She could see that it hadn't turned out at all as she had thought it would. She was worried about Harumi and understood the pain her friend was going through as she recalled how happy Harumi was when she thought Fuji had asked her out. Amaya had believed it too. Why wouldn't she?

She turned towards Fuji, who had seen Harumi run away as well. No one in their group was speaking until Echizen opened his mouth and asked: "What's wrong with senpai?"

Oishi threw a quick glance at Fuji before saying: "We better look for her. She will get lost for sure in this crowd if left alone. Come on, Amaya!"

Amaya hesitated, and then nodded. Naoki was standing farther away, arms crossed. She had a bad feeling about this. But after all, she had warned her several times, hadn't she?

"Syusuke, what is going on?" Yumiko asked her younger brother.

Fuji waited for a moment before answering. "I don't know. I will look for her too. If you two want to have fun, you can go ahead, we will catch up with you soon."

"Are you sure? Maybe you could use our help."

"No, it's alright. Just look after Yuuta."

His younger brother frowned. "I don't need to be looked after!"

Fuji smiled a quick smile. "Right! I will be going then."

Fuji ran away and soon disappeared among the crowd. The rest of Harumi's friends went out as well by groups of two, going along all the side streets, calling her name.

* * *

It was getting cold. Harumi dried her tears and looked up towards the sky. She released her grip on the bentos and put them back in her bag. 

_It's all a misunderstanding. I guess I really wanted to go on a date with him, and that's why I so easily misunderstood his words. That's really stupid and embarrassing. Plus, I ran away from everyone, so they all must be worried about me now. I guess it's time to go back. _

Still, she couldn't help but to feel disappointed and empty. She thought that finally, it was the beginning of something between her and Fuji, but she guessed that wouldn't happen before a long, long time.

_But someday, my feelings will reach him. For sure… _

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. When she opened them, Fuji was sitting by her side on the bench.

At first she thought it was a dream. How did Fuji find her?

"F… Fuji...san?" She stammered.

Fuji didn't say anything, but just smiled his usual smile. He took her hand and put something in her palm.

"I think this is yours, Harumi-chan."

Harumi lowered her eyes and saw her white ribbon, a little bit torn and dirty, but still, she recognized it, lying there in the nest of her palm. She couldn't believe it.

Suddenly, her vision was blurry again from the tears accumulating in her eyes.

"Harumi-chan… daijoubu?" Fuji asked with concern.

Before she knew it, she was pressing her face against his chest, holding him for dear life as tears of happiness ran down her cheeks. She loved him. She really loved him.

Fuji put his hands on her shoulders. "Harumi-chan…"

"Fuji, arigato…" she managed to say through her sobs.

It didn't matter if today wasn't a date. As long as she could be with him, she was happy. Date was only a word, and a word that was too easily used. If she could only spend time with him, it didn't matter what it was called.

She dried her tears with the back of her hand and slowly pulled away from him. Fuji had a surprised look on his face. She knew he wanted to ask her what was wrong and why she had ran away from everyone, but she didn't feel like thinking about it anymore. She squeezed the ribbon in her hand, and then used to to reattach her hair. Then, she stood up. She was stupid of thinking that this was a date, but she would be even more stupid if she let herself feel bitter and disappointed for the rest of the day. She didn't know how, but Fuji was the only one who had come after her after she had ran away. He was the only one who had found her. And right at that instant, he was the only one standing by her side among the crowd. She stretched her hand towards him.

"Let's go, Fuji!"

"Ah? Ano… wait a second, Harumi-chan… where are we going?"

"To have some fun! This is a carnival, right?"

"D…demo… the others…"

"We will meet up with them eventually, neh?" She looked back at him and smiled.

Seeing her smiling with such enthusiasm, Fuji finally nodded and took her hand. "Alright, we will go wherever you want, then!"

Harumi smiled and ran into the crowd. If Fuji emitted some more protests, they were drowned under the music of the carnival. After a while, she finally slowed down and allowed him to walk by her side. She was still holding his hand, but was also acutely aware that he hadn't let go of hers, yet.

_Someday, my feelings will reach him… for sure… _

* * *

alright, i have replied to all of your reviews from both chapters 14 and 15 two hours ago, but since ff messed up and nothing was saved, i really dont feel like doing the whole thing all over again. 

So, i will just thank you all collectively here. your reviews all mean a lot to me, and sometimes they give me ideas for my fic, or influence the direction in which the story is going. after all, what i am writing is not only for me, and for you as well. and of course, Harumi is the one who will decide how the plot is ultimately going to unravel, lol :p

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and special thanks to **AuroraRose, koolasapixels, White Alchemist Taya, JayleeJ, Moonlight19, Hajimari, Morggie85, fanXforever, angelOfdestiny, Rita, fujilovesme, Crazy Bubbling Blonde, I-Poke-Penguins, singer in the wind, Anime 300, Noir** and **#1fujilover** for all your heartwarming comments and encouragements for the two last chappies!!

I hope you will keep reading!!!! arigato for everything!!

oh, and before i forget, i did something extra for this fic that i posted on my profile page. its a picture of Fuji and Harumi and another one of Chiharu and Atobe. please check it out and tell me what you think about them!!!! it may take a while before uploading on my profile page, so if u dont see them now... its normal, i guess... anyways, take care, minna!! Ja ne!


	17. Confrontation

**Confrontation**

"Ah, Fuji, look! Look! What is this?"

"Eh? I wonder."

Fuji and Harumi squeezed their way among the crowd and reached the end of a rather long line that led to a stand where a woman was shouting out to the crowd, using a cone made of colorful paper.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Come and try our very newest version of ice cake! We have now a new blueberry flavor in addition to our previous strawberry, orange and banana ones! Come! The first piece is for free!"

Harumi scratched her head.

"Heh? Ice cake with banana flavor? I wonder what that is… – she frowned a little – probably another one of those artificial thingies they are getting us to eat."

Fuji laughed. "Now, now, don't judge it too harshly! We haven't even seen it yet. How about we try some?"

"Demo! Look at the line."

"Maa, it's like this everywhere! Besides, we have gone to various places already! Let's get that ice cake and rest for a bit, neh?"

Harumi smiled. "Okay!"

It was true that they have been to many fun places already. Harumi had thought that if they walked randomly, they were bound to meet up with some of their friends. However, the place was bigger than she had expected, and the crowd, thicker. As a result, after two hours, Fuji and she were still alone together.

_Even though this isn't an official date, it sure feels like one_! She thought enthusiastically. There was no point in getting upset at not having a real date. After revision of her priorities, she figured that she just needed to appreciate the present and not worry too much about the future.

Because of the amount of people pushing them from all directions, Fuji and Harumi were squeezed close to each other at the middle of the line. Harumi was trying to evacuate the heat from her body that was building up from being so close to him. In order to calm herself down, she tried to think about something else.

Slowly, her thoughts wandered to what they had done so far. _This morning sure was fun!_

**Flash back**

In order to avoid the masses of people, they went far from the main street by following smaller and less crowded streets, which had diverse little stands at both sides selling food and hot drinks.

Fuji bought them two cups of hot tea, in spite of Harumi's protests that she would pay. Then, while they drank their tea, they walked until they reached the end of the street, which came off to the river. They went on the bridge overhanging it and looked down at the waters flowing slowly underneath. That scene made her recall the time when she had found Fuji under a bridge similar to that one. She realized that she had already liked him back them. Heck, she liked him the first time she had set eyes on him!

If only he could notice her, just a little bit…

She shook off these unwanted thoughts from her head. After they enjoyed the view for a bit, they went back to the heart of the Carnival, where Harumi immediately spotted a really tall toboggan. Even though she was afraid of trying it, she did it anyway, and forced Fuji to go with her. Basically, the toboggan was like a very long and very high slide with many curves. There was ice on it so that people would slide faster. When they reached the top and saw how high it was, Harumi developed second thoughts about the whole thing, but before she could voice it, Fuji had made her sit down and had sat behind her, with his legs on both sides of her.

Harumi blushed. Of course, once they were in that position, Harumi didn't even think of telling him that she was afraid. But, boy, wasn't that a long slide! During the whole process, she just closed her eyes and screamed all the way down. At one point, she had felt Fuji's hands tighten a little around her waist, so maybe he was a little bit afraid as well! Of course, once she was down, she thought it was a lot of fun and forced Fuji to do it all over again with her three more times. After she had had enough, she told Fuji that she wanted to try something else, which made the tensai sigh in relief. Just at that moment, though, she spotted a stand near the toboggan with pictures of the people coming down.

Just out of curiosity, she looked for the picture of her and Fuji. Finally, she saw it! The picture showed them together on the toboggan. Fuji was sitting behind her with his hands around her waist. His eyes were open and he was laughing as if he was just having the time of his life. Harumi turned red with embarrassment when she saw herself. Her eyes were wide open and she was screaming her head off with her hands clasped tightly on Fuji's arms.

"Oh, let's buy this one as a souvenir." Fuji said while peeking over her shoulder.

"Wait, wait! Ah… how about we do it again and then buy the picture?"

"No, I want this one because you are funny on it, Harumi-chan!"

Harumi sweatdropped. Funny, yeah, sure. She looked like she was wetting her pants. But still, after much argument, she gave in to Fuji and they bought that specific picture.

Next stop was a big game stand. The set up was a little stage covered with ice. At the opposite extremity were boxes pinned down to the wall. The objective of the challenge was to walk on the ice, until one reached a line traced on the slippery floor three meters from the boxes. One had to walk with a tennis racket standing on one's palm. Of course, for this first stage of the game, if the challenger dropped his racket or fell down, he was out. For the second stage of the game, once the challenger had reached the red line, someone would hand him three tennis balls, and he was to hit them and make them land inside one of the boxes. If the three tries failed, the player was disqualified. The winner was the first one to accomplish the task.

Of course, when Harumi and Fuji saw that it was partially a tennis challenge, they couldn't just ignore it. For the first stage, Harumi almost lost her balance twice, and her racquet was swinging crazily on her palm, but she reached the red line along with the others. Fuji had a great sense of balance from his tennis experience, so he seemed to be walking on grass when he crossed the slippery stage in no time.

Harumi was determined to beat Fuji in at least something, so she focused on the box, raised her racket and hit the tennis ball. However, when the racket was about to meet the ball, she lost her balance and fell on her butt. As a result, the ball went in a random direction and knocked another player KO. Everyone then started swinging their rackets like crazy, causing a rain of yellow balls.

Fuji calmly rolled the ball in his hand before performing an underhand serve. However, his ball was intercepted in mid-air by another ball. At the same time, a young man came crashing against his side. They both landed on the floor.

Harumi pointed at them and laughed her head off. However, two minutes later she wasn't laughing anymore as she had used all her three chances and was therefore forced to leave. With a sulky face, she came down the stage.

"Ganbatte, Fuji! You can't lose! Your pride as a tennis tensai is on the line here!" She yelled to her partner.

Fuji smiled his trademark smile. "Hmm." He said while getting up on his feet and positioning himself. Another player came crashing towards him when he was about to serve, but he stepped to the side and hit the ball from below his knee. The ball flew way up into the air, avoiding all the other balls, and landed perfectly in the box.

Everyone was watching with their mouths wide.

"Yataa! Yataa! Way to go, Fuji! Number one! Yosh! That's Fuji for you!" Harumi was yelling excitedly at the side.

The prize for the first place was a giant stuffed bunny. Some people were cheering noisily. The bunny was almost as tall as Fuji's chest, and was only a bit taller than Harumi. The young girl was totally excited when she jumped on Fuji, making him land face first into the bunny's stomach.

"Fuji, that was awesome! You are so cool! Victory!"

"Ha… Harumi-chan…" The young man protested with his face still buried in the bunny's stomach.

Harumi changed targets. Pulling on the bunny's ears, she exclaimed: "Kawaii! It's so kawaii!"

Fuji was trying to rearrange his messy hair. "You like it? Then, how about you have it? It's so big; I don't know what to do with it."

"You… you want to give it to me?"

Fuji nodded. Harumi was crying in anime fashion. She really felt she was having a date there with the best boyfriend in the whole wide world. She hugged the bunny fiercely. "Of course I accept it then! Arigatou neh, Fuji!"

**End of flash back**

Remembering that scene, Harumi gazed at the giant bunny in her arms. It was really soft and kawaii. The line advanced as the woman continued to shout in her cone to attract more customers.

Harumi sensed Fuji looking at her as she smiled at the giant stuffed animal. She directed that smile at him. She was truly happy at that precise moment in time.

She wished that the day would never end and that none of their friends would find them, ever. It was like the date of her dreams, even though it wasn't a date. She was now happy that she had run away from everyone. She looked around her, still smiling.

There were people everywhere, and most of them looked to be in a hurry to visit new places. Little kids were running everywhere while their parents chased after them, carrying mountains of bags from their diverse shopping.

Then, a group of young men older than Harumi and Fuji passed them by noisily. The tallest one was swinging a baseball bat that he must have won in one of the challenge games.

"Hora! Hora! Don't I look cool with this? Maybe I should start playing baseball one of these days! The girls will go crazy for me, ma ha ha ha ha! Hora!"

His companions didn't pay him much attention, but as Harumi dived to avoid his bat's wild motion, she felt Fuji's hand pulling her closer to him, where she was safer. Harumi blushed and looked down on her feet, too embarrassed to cross his eyes.

The guy with the bat noticed Fuji's move as well and paused. Harumi eyed him suspiciously. He wasn't looking very friendly.

"Hehe, taking care of your precious little girlfriend, eh? Aren't you the hero, today?"

Harumi blushed even more at the word "girlfriend" but didn't feel like rejoicing. Fuji was wearing his usual mask of lack of emotion and just stared at him calmly, which seemed to piss him off.

Tapping the bat on his shoulder, he came closer to them and bent over to stare directly into Harumi's eyes. Harumi pulled away for his breath stank of alcohol.

"What do you want?" She asked with irritation.

"Tseh, you have a pretty good one there, man! – he smirked to Fuji – aren't you the lucky one!"

One of his friends turned around. "Oi, stop it. It's not worth it." He sounded nervous. And he was right, since the tall guy turned towards him and shouted violently: "Urusei! Who are you to order me around?!"

"If you have no business here, please leave." Fuji finally said, in a rather icy voice. Harumi was looking from one to the other; she was scared now.

"Hora, hora, lucky bastards like you should share with others! Lend me your girlfriend for awhile, neh? I will take good care of her, ma ha ha ha!"

Harumi winced. _What is he doing? With all these people around!_

The crowd wasn't paying much attention to them, though. She looked at Fuji, wondering what they should do. The guy looked like he was going to pick a fight.

Fuji put a hand on Harumi's shoulder, silently reassuring her.

"Let's go, Harumi-chan." He said. Harumi nodded.

"What? Where do you think you are going? I'm not done here!"

"You are drunk." Fuji said with a reproving stare.

"How dare you…" Holding his bat with two hands, he swung it towards Harumi. The young girl screamed and raised an arm to protect herself. However, the blow never landed on her. As she opened one eye fearfully, she saw Fuji holding the bat with one hand. His eyes were open, and they were glowing, as cold as iron.

With his other hand, he pulled Harumi behind him.

"Don't lay a finger on her." He warned him. His voice made Harumi shiver.

The other guy, who had cold and cruel gray eyes, smirked. "Playing the hero again? But, tell me, do you think you can overpower me with that slender body of yours? Huh?!"

He started pushing on the bat. Fuji tightened his arm muscles and resisted. People were now starting to pay attention to them. The guy with gray eyes was pretty strong, but obviously he wasn't doing five workouts per week. Soon, he was sweating and holding the bat with two hands, while Fuji only clenched his teeth.

"You… bastard…" He growled.

One of his comrades came running, a worried expression on his face. Apparently, it wasn't usual that his boss could lose in strength to some random guy on the street. The boss in question was now afraid of that hard look in his opponent's eyes. His comrade put an arm on his shoulder.

"Come now, let's go, Kenji! We are going to attract too much attention if this goes on!"

Suddenly, Fuji gasped and stepped back. The other guy didn't understand why, but he seized the advantage like lightning. He raised the bat again and landed a blow in Fuji's stomach, making him tumble backwards.

"Fuji!" Harumi yelled while catching him from behind. The two of them landed on the ground. Fuji gripped his stomach and panted for breath.

"Fuji! Fuji, daijoubu?"

But Fuji was looking at the other guy, his eyes filled with shock.

"Kenji…? No, it can't be…" He whispered.

However, the more he looked at him, the more characteristics he recognized, in spite of his own will to contradict his eyes. Dark-blue hair… longer than before. Those cold gray eyes, how could he have forgotten those? And that earring at his left ear, he recognized it too.

"What's going on, Fuji?" Harumi whispered – do you know him?"

Fuji still just stared at him, not blinking. Kenji tapped his bat against his other hand, his ferocious smirk once more back on his lips.

"Too scared to even stand, little crybaby? I will pay you back for that little resistance back there!"

People were now watching them with horror, but no one was trying to intervene.

"Fuji! What are we going to do? We can't fight him!"

She didn't understand what was wrong with him, all of a sudden. Kenji started walking towards them, his step uneven because of his drunken state. "Let's have fun…"

Harumi looked at Fuji, still holding his stomach. She was really scared now. But she didn't want that guy to hurt Fuji anymore.

Kenji's shadow was now above them; his bat was raised.

Before she knew it, she was standing before Fuji, her arms spread to both sides of her.

"Stop it! I won't allow it!"

Kenji paused, amusement crossing his gray eyes. He eyed Fuji, still sprawled down on the ground.

"I'm going to have fun with your girlfriend who so nicely came to me! Is it alright with you?"

There was no reaction from Fuji.

Kenji laughed a vicious laugh. "Fine, then. I take that as a 'yes'."

Harumi could feel her knees trembling. "Stop it!" she repeated. She searched the crowd for any sign of help, but everyone was looking transfixed by the scene. No one was speaking.

Suddenly, Kenji was in front of her, breathing in her face. She stepped back but he took her by the hair and pulled her close to him.

"Now, where shall we start?"

"Kenji, stop it…" His comrade looked desperate.

Kenji ignored him. Harumi groaned with the pain and started fighting back with her fists and her feet, landing punches wherever she could reach. "Don't touch me, you animal! Let me go! Stop it!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Urusei, idiot!" He kicked his knee violently into her mid-section, cutting off her screaming. He let go of her hair and threw her on the ground, where he started kicking her. Harumi's mouth tasted like blood.

"You are not fun to play with. You are useless. I'm done with you."

He raised his bat again. One guy from the crowd dared to rush forwards, running towards them. "Oi, stop it! It's dangerous!" Kenji pivoted and smashed the bat into the guy's head.

Blood splattered everywhere.

"Kenji!" His comrade let out a scared scream before running off. Kenji was panting now, his eyes reflecting madness.

The guy was now unmoving on the ground; blood was flowing from his head. For perhaps five seconds, everything was silent, and then, the crowd started screaming and running away in all directions. Kenji didn't care.

He raised his bat, now filled with blood, and smirked at the helpless girl at his feet. He breathed in the look of pure fear in those purple eyes. With all his strength, he swung the bat in her direction.

Harumi looked, unblinking, as the bat approached her face.

And then Fuji's body hid the bat from her sight as he closed his arms around her. The bat landed on his back and flew off from Kenji's hands. The vibrations of the stroke ran throughout Harumi's entire body.

"Fuji! FUJI!"

She could hear him panting with pain.

From the corner of her eye, she saw two policemen arriving and imprisoning Kenji in the lock of their arms. A third one then came and pointed a gun in his direction. Kenji stopped struggling and burst into laughter.

"Oh, fuck you!"

Harumi sat up and held Fuji against her. She was trembling like a leaf; she couldn't forget the hard impact of the blow on Fuji's back.

"Fuji, daijoubu? Can you move?" He opened his eyes and used a hand to support his back as he tried to sit up.

"No! Fuji, don't! Don't push yourself, it's gonna be alright…"

Fuji nodded, but saw her holding her mid-section. Against her will, he got into a sitting position and stared at the blood running down her cheek. "Gomen, Harumi-chan…"

Harumi was angry at him for moving when he was this badly hurt. "For what? You baka, what were you thinking???"

She shook him a little. "Why did you do something so reckless?

A policeman then approached them. "Oi, are you two okay? I will call an ambulance to give you a ride to the hospital…"

Fuji slowly shook his head. "I will be just fine. Please take care of Harumi-chan first."

"What are you saying, Fuji? Your back is definitely not fine. Can you even stand up? You have to go to the hospital! Let the doctors check on you! You may feel fine now, but what if it worsens? Why are so carefree about yourself?"

She pointed a finger towards the policeman. "YOU! Take him to the hospital, NOW!"

"Ah… hai!"

Fuji sighed. At least it seemed that Harumi was pretty much back to normal. The young girl touched her mid-section with a finger. It hurt when she touched it. But she was pretty sure it hadn't affected any vital organs. She will probably just end up with a bruise.

Fuji's eyes narrowed as the other policemen went by, escorting a now quiet Kenji. When their eyes crossed, Kenji smirked viciously. When he was within hearing distance, Fuji quietly whispered:

"I didn't know you could turn out to be more rotten than you already were… Kenji-kun."

Kenji frowned for a second, and then his eyes widened. Fuji slowly opened his eyes. "What is that? Don't you recognize me? Kenji-kun, here is my promise to you: If I ever come upon your face again, I will break it."

Kenji and the policemen reached the intersection where a car was parked, in the middle of a curious crowd. From behind the dark shades of the window, gray eyes watched the slender silhouette leaning against the girl.

"Syusuke-kun…" he murmured, then smirked. "The world is indeed small."

Soon after, an ambulance came and took Fuji and Harumi to the nearest hospital. On their way there, Harumi sat beside Fuji, who was lying on a stretcher. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see the bat coming towards her face and then Fuji's body intercepting the blow. It was impossible that he had nothing broken after that.

_Why did he do something so dangerous? What if the blow had landed on his head or something? He might have ended up like that other guy…_

She remembered him lying on a ground, blood squeezing out of his head. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard.

She stole a glance at Fuji, who was looking in the opposite direction.

_Who was that crazy guy anyway? It seemed that Fuji knew him. Why was he suddenly paralyzed when he was obviously at an advantage? I don't get it. My head hurts. Why did it end up like this? _

Maybe Fuji would tell her after some time, but maybe he wouldn't, because… what was she to him exactly? Still now, she didn't know. For the first time, she wanted to know the answer to that question. Why didn't he ever tell her anything? Why didn't he ever tell anyone anything at all?

She leaned in above him. "Fuji? Are you hurting?"

Fuji rolled his head towards her. "I don't really feel anything right now. They gave me some analgesics."

"Gomen…"

Fuji actually startled when he heard that word coming from her lips.

"Harumi-chan, please don't apologize to me right now. I… I should be the one apologizing to you. I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry."

He looked away. Harumi touched his hand; her anger was gone. "Don't say that! I'm pretty sure you've got your reasons. Fuji, that guy… do you know him?"

Fuji stared at the ceiling of the ambulance, and Harumi thought he wouldn't answer. But after some time, he said, without looking at her:

"Well, how should I put this…I do sort of know him."

Harumi waited.

"His name is Kenji. I don't know what his last name is. He is someone I knew when I was little. As improbable as it may seem, he was one of my first friends. No, he was someone I considered as being my best friend."

Harumi's eyes widened. "You mean that guy? How…?"

"Yes, he fooled me too at that time. He fooled me completely." He smiled. "And I guess it's because I was stupid back then. I trusted him and believed every word he uttered. He was someone I looked up to."

Even though his voice was calm, Harumi could see the pain in his eyes. Maybe she shouldn't have asked after all. She closed her hand on his. He didn't pull off. Maybe he couldn't feel it because of the analgesics.

"It was late summer at the time, and I was living at my aunt's house. My aunt is a pretty well-off person. She had all sorts of precious and rare jewels in a secret drawer hidden inside her bedroom. She used to travel a lot when she was younger, and she had collected those throughout her travels. Every night, before I went to sleep, she would tell me stories of her expeditions all around the world. She even showed me some of her jewels, which made her pride as a collector."

Fuji's eyes closed a little. Maybe the drug was taking effect now.

"It was soon after moving there that I met Kenji-kun at the park near the house. I don't remember exactly how we became friends, but once we did, we were inseparable, even though he was older than me. We used to meet at the park every day. Summer wasn't the same for me after I met him. I had… so much fun. And then, one day, Kiri, my cat that I cherished since as long as I could remember, got run over by a car. I remember being really depressed over his death. Kenji was the only one who I thought truly understood how I felt. After some time, he said that he knew a way of bringing him back. And I believed him, why shouldn't I?"

Harumi could see where the story was going.

"It's alright, Fuji. You don't need to say no more."

But Fuji didn't hear her. "He said he knew a ritual to bring him back. I really wanted to see Kiri again. Kenji said he needed the stones that my aunt had. I remember that I had hesitated, but Kenji said he would give them back to me once the ritual was over. So, I took the jewels from my aunt's drawer and met him somewhere at the border of the city. After that, well…he pretty much betrayed me. He took the jewels and ran away. It was what he was aiming for all along."

Fuji opened his eyes slightly. "I still can't believe how foolish I was."

"It wasn't your fault, Fuji! You couldn't have known… you were only a boy back then."

"And even today, I became useless once I have recognized him. And because of my weakness, you were hurt…"

Harumi leaned slightly over him. "No, Fuji. You weren't weak. You protected me at the end, remember? If not for you, I don't know what would have happened to me. Arigato, Fuji…"

"Harumi…"

"You were not weak." Harumi repeated gently.

Fuji closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Harumi stared down at him with sadness in her purple eyes. She knew now why sometimes he couldn't bring himself to trust people. For a long time, she had sat beside him and squeezed his hand tightly in hers. She stared at him, unblinking, thinking about the story he had told her, as his chest rose and fell, rose and fell with each of his breathes.

His features were less troubled, now. Maybe he had fallen asleep. Harumi's hand slowly let go of his, as she used that same hand to push a lock of hair away from his eyes.

"You were not weak – she whispered – you are the strongest person I know… Syusuke."

She then smiled sadly to herself. What good was there in saying those words to him when he couldn't hear them?

* * *

When she woke up, she was in a room she didn't recognize. The walls were all white; the covers and the bed were white as well. The curtains were half drawn and the sky outside of the window was blue and clear. She managed to get into a sitting position and felt bandages wrapped around her mid-section. Flowers and cards were lying on a night table beside her bed.

"I'm… at a hospital."

In a flash, she remembered the events that had led her to this place. "Fuji!"

As she was about to get out of bed, the door of her room opened and Amaya entered carrying a vase of flowers.

"Ah, Harumi! You are awake!"

"A… Amaya!"

At the sound of Amaya's exclamation, countless footsteps were heard from the corridor outside her room. One second later, the space around her bed was filled with a noisy crowd.

"Harumi! What the hell happened to you?"

"We were looking for you everywhere!"

"You don't have anything serious, that's what the doctors said. Yokatta!"

"We were really scared when we heard that Fuji and you were involved in a fight!"

"There was another guy who was hurt pretty badly! He's in a coma now. We were worried that you would be in a coma too!"

"Just what happened? Why did you run off in the first place?"

"Does it hurt still?"

Harumi saw little stars dancing in front of her eyes.

"Silence!" A commanding voice ordered. As usual, Tezuka was her sanity savior.

"Guys! Thank you so much for caring about me! But why are you here? What day are we?"

"We are the ones asking questions here, you got us worried sick! You get out of our sight for a few hours and this is what happens!" Chiharu scolded.

"I'm really sorry! But you probably know everything that happened to us from your daily gossip already, so can you please tell me how much time has passed since I am at this hospital? Is Fuji okay? Where is he?"

"Fuji is fine. The doctors ran some tests on his back. It doesn't seem to be damaged, which is what is important."

"Baka! – Aika said scornfully – just how the hell did he get involved in that fight anyway? Do you know what would have happened if his back would have been broken? He would never be able to play tennis anymore!"

Harumi felt a flash of fire burning through her chest.

_Aika is right! If he was seriously hurt… he would…_

"Aika, that's enough! – Momo said impatiently – it's not Harumi-chan's fault. We know all the details already. It's everywhere on TV, and the witnesses aren't keeping their mouths shut either."

Amaya sat down on the bed beside her.

"How are you feeling, Harumi?"

Harumi nodded. "I'm... fine, i guess. Just a little tired. Could you guys please just…?"

"I understand."

"Guys – Oishi said – you are too loud over here. Harumi surely needs some rest! Let's have this conversation outside, shall we?"

"Get better soon!" Naoko said.

"I will bring you some sushi, it will help for sure!" Takasan added.

Harumi smiled. "Thanks guys, I appreciate it, really. And I promise that I will answer all your questions later."

"Get some sleep, then!" Chiharu said, her voice softened.

When everyone finally exited the room, Harumi saw Eiji leaning against the wall, arms crossed. He wasn't wearing his usual smile.

"Eiji…"

There was something wrong with him, she could feel it. She threw the covers away from her and stepped out of bed.

"Don't get up! The doctors said you should stay in bed for at least today." The redhead said while approaching.

"But… it's not even something serious. I have nothing broken. I could walk even before I came here…"

"Baka! – he interrupted – just listen to the doctors, for once!"

Harumi startled. Eiji seemed pretty angry.

_Probably at me… I must have made him worry too…_

_But he doesn't need to speak to me in that tone! I couldn't help what happened back then! I'm feeling guilty enough for the fact that Fuji could have been made unable to play tennis for the rest of his life! If I hadn't run away from everyone, nothing of this would have happened._

She lied down on the bed and glared at him. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? And it's true that my injury is nothing serious! We should be worrying about Fuji right now!"

Eiji's dark blue eyes glared. "You should care about yourself, too! Why are you always so irresponsible?"

"What? – She jumped out of bed and stood before him – what's wrong with you? What happened back there was no one's fault. It had nothing to do with you, so what are you angry at…? Ah!"

Suddenly, she was imprisoned in his hug, pressed against his chest. She could feel his strong arms locked around her, as if he feared she would disappear if he let go.

"E… Eiji…"

She could feel his breath against her neck. She was shocked.

"Harumi, you baka… - he whispered at her ear – I'm not angry at you, ok? You were asleep since yesterday afternoon, so everyone was worried! Did you ever think about how I, and everyone, would feel if anything had really happened to you?"

Harumi hasn't really thought about that. She was just made aware of how worried her friends really were. She could guess how Eiji must have felt. She would be biting her nails off if their positions would have been exchanged.

She slowly put her arms around him.

"I… I'm really sorry, Eiji. I didn't mean to…"

"I know."

Harumi smiled a little. Suddenly, there was a knot in her throat. She closed her eyes and rested her cheek against Eiji's shoulder. Somehow, it was comforting to be where she was. Eiji was really a good friend. No, he was probably her best friend right now.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw Mai standing at the threshold of her room, staring at them. She didn't know how long she had been there. When their eyes crossed, she thought she read a flash of irritation in those ocean blue eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt...'' Mai started in a cold voice.

Eiji turned towards her, startled by the sudden sound of her voice. Under her Buchou's severe eyes, Harumi felt like she had just done something she shouldn't have.

"M… Mai Buchou!"

"Sorry to interrupt – she repeated – but Fuji-san is awake."

"Really? Yokatta!" Harumi said with relief.

Eiji watched as her face lit up with a true smile.

"I will go and see how he is doing!" She said.

"But, Harumi… you shouldn't go around in the hospital, yet."

"Ah, it's okay. I will be back before anyone notices. Cover up for me Eiji, neh?"

She winked at him and then passed by Mai and disappeared in the corridor.

"Harumi… wait…" Eiji lifted a hand at her disappearing silhouette, as if to call her back, but as she faded out of sight, he lowered his arm.

She was gone already when she was so close to him one minute ago. He could still feel the warmth of her body against his chest.

Mai was looking at him from the door. He didn't notice her until she was just in front of him.

"M… Mai-chan?"

For the first time, Mai wasn't wearing her captain mask. She just stood there and said nothing.

Eiji somehow managed a smile. "Do you need something, Mai-chan?"

Finally, Mai opened her mouth:

"Not really. But…daijoubu, Kikumaru-kun?"

"Huh? Y…yeah! Well, Fujiko is awake, good news, good news! Let's go see!"

He ran towards the door.

"Kikumaru-kun!"

He turned around. "Nani?"

Mai seemed to do some serious mind work before she quietly said: "Let's go buy some drinks first. Everyone must be thirsty."

Eiji hesitated for a moment.

"I will just go and check on Fujiko first! I will catch up with you soon, I promise!"

Mai looked as he ran away. She put on her mask of seriousness and walked in the opposite direction.

* * *

Ok, people, another chapter done! I totally failed my chemistry lab, but I managed to post this on time. Nothing to laugh about, though. I need to do some serious catch up for chem. So please encourage me as much as you can, guys! I'm counting on you! 

Yosh, then here are replies to your reviews!

**Fujilovesme:** thank you!!! Im glad you liked it!

**Rita:** hehe, was it that tragic? Well, it does get more tragic later. At least, I think. I don't know if I can write tragedy, yet. Lol. Well, school started like three weeks ago for me! it really sucks all your free time, which… sucks. :p . I understand how it is, but if you have time, please keep reading! After all, all your comments are important to me!! and of course I am aware of your support! thanks for this review!

**Gossipmonger:** yah, I hope it will get better!! Thanks for the review! Nice smileys btw.

**Anime 300:** yay!! Second person to say that it was emotional! Maybe I can write tragedy after all!! Only if I listen to depressing music, lol. Lately, I have been trying eternal snow.. it's a song from another anime. Its really moving! Aaanyways! Thanks for the review!

**Anime-kunoichi:** roger that!

**JayleeJ:** I know, huh? It can get pretty irritating when he is so clueless. I think this chapter is more to your taste, then. After all, they do get kinda close in this one. Even though… complications are coming their way. Kenji popping up means that Sayuri isn't too far. Of course, I wont forget about you guys! Even if the world ends, I will save my laptop, LOL.

**Singer in the wind**: complicated stories are usually good stories! At least, in my opinion:p. yah, I don't know why but I really have fun writing about Eiji and Harumi. They are kinda sweet together. ( sigh ) ok, if she ends up with eiji instead I will have to change this story to EijixOC. Hmm, maybe I should ask u guys to vote… haha.

**Eiji.K.lover123:** thanks for the review! Are you a new reader? If so, welcome, nya! Hope you will enjoy the rest of this story as well! I know, poor Eiji… I feel bad for writing the scenes where he feels so sad. Gaaah. I do love Eiji too.

**White Alchemist Taya:** yah, for sure. Well, the date was believable. Its just that Fuji omitted the "with him". Of course, that's the clue to a true date… anyways, I like being sadistic sometimes, niac. Thanks for the review!!!!

**Munny:** new reader? Welcome to the fic, nya! Lol. These new readers are making me happy. Yeah, Harumi and Eiji are kind of sweet… I wonder what I should do now… maybe propose a vote later on in the chapters! Thanks for reviewing!

**angelOfdestiny**: yeah, seriously, ff gets on my nerves sometimes! I know, Mizuki is so funny. Yuuta is like so rebellious! They are all cool characters, but for me its Eiji and Fuji foreveeeer. Hum, I think you have noticed my preferences by now, LOL. hugs angel thanks for the review!!

**Koolasapixels:** what? You couldn't read the last lines? What happened? Oo. Anyways, thanks for liking the story and reviewing!! Hope you enjoyed this one!!!

**Hajimari:** ha, I have been wanting to thank you for your cool reviews last time, but since ff messed up, it got erased. Well, I will say it again, then: thanks for ur cool reviews!!! Lol. I really enjoy reading them. Fuji can get irritating sometimes. He isn't as perfect as we thought, huh? Eiji is so kawaii… I could get him someone, but will he accept?

**Morggie85:** hey girl!! Thanks for all ur reviews for the previous chapters and for this one! I really enjoyed reading them. Fuji can't perceive love from the outside yet, but lets hope that someday he will truly open up. And for sure, Eiji has liked her since a few chapters back already. Its really become a triangle. Omg. Thanks for all your support!! Please keep reading!! hugs morggie.

**Crazy bubbling blonde**: haha, yay, well how should I put this? I am not evil… I just have… the "sadistic Fuji gene" LOL. Ok, biology is getting to my head, stupid school. Do you like drama? Theres more coming up ur way if you do, lol. Thanks for the review!

**#1fujilover:** thanks for the review! Eiji and Harumi are still suffering… poor them!! I hope you enjoyed this one!!! Take care!

Alright, that was all!!!!! Arigato minna!!!! Till next week, hopefully!! Ja ne!


	18. Precipice of the heart

**Precipice of the heart**

* * *

**  
**

_A mighty pain to love it is,_

_And 'tis a pain that pain to miss;_

_But of all pains, the greatest pain_

_It is to love, but love in vain."_

Abraham Cowley

* * *

Fuji stared at the ceiling, only just beginning to feel the warmth and firmness of the mattress underneath his body. He twisted his fingers slowly. He didn't know what the doctors have been doing to him, but all his limbs felt numb. 

Moreover, the swarm of people in his room one minute earlier hadn't made things easier for him. The most humiliating thing of all was the fact that he hadn't even been able to sit up on his own to greet his friends. He had to depend on a nurse activating the mechanism under his bed that would lift its upper section for him to be able to face the people in the room.

They had all been so worried.

Fuji moved his fingers again and then lifted his right arm slightly. Outside the window at his right, he could see a portion of blue sky among two big clouds. It looked like it would snow again, soon.

Oishi had been as mother-like as usual, and had assaulted him with all kinds of questions on how he felt. Naoko was saying how glad she was when she heard from the doctors that there was no major damage to his spine. They said that they had reported that news to Harumi as well, and that she was relieved too. Tezuka worried about him not being able to move yet.

Fuji had kept his casual smile in place, and had reassured them that he would be just fine, and that even though right now he couldn't move, he would be healed in no time.

The lie came easily. He didn't even need to think about it as he told it in his usual voice.

It seemed that only Tezuka couldn't buy that smile. Fuji had to be careful about him, since he knew his Buchou would counterattack as soon as he would get a moment alone with him.

Slowly, he raised a hand to touch the bandages around his back and torso. The material was pretty smooth, and soft under his fingers' touch.

**Flash back**

Fuji opened his eyes slowly, and had to blink to adjust them to the bright light coming from the window.

"Ah, Fuji-san, you are finally awake!"

There was a nurse standing beside his bed. She was holding a notebook in her hands and was reading some information on a weird-looking machine at his left.

"What happened to me?" He asked.

He tried to sit up, but realized his body wouldn't move. The nurse finished writing on her notebook before turning her full attention to him.

"Well, you received a pretty bad blow to the side of your back. Do you remember that?"

Slowly, Fuji nodded.

"Well, the doctor is going to be here in a second. He is going to explain everything to you. And then, you will be able to talk to your friends. There are quite a lot of them. They had to leave for the night, but all of them came back first thing this morning when the hospital opened. You are lucky, having such caring friends!" The nurse said gently while getting out of the room.

Fuji reflected on her last words.

"Saa…"

At that moment, a middle aged man wearing a white coat and carrying a package of papers in his arms entered the room.

"Ohayo, Fuji-san! I am Sasaki sensei. How are you feeling today?"

"Fine… I guess. My body feels numb."

"Ah, don't worry about that. It's pretty normal since we had to give you some analgesics to help you sleep."

The doctor had a pleasant and reassuring baritone voice.

Fuji waited for him to pursue.

Sasaki sensei coughed briefly. "So, I'm here to talk about your condition due to the blow to your back. It is less serious than we thought, but still, there is some damage done."

"I see." Fuji said.

The doctor seemed a little bit disturbed by his patient's calmness. Usually, most people he had treated in the past had started panicking at his point. Fuji's gentle smile made him feel like they were talking about the weather while drinking tea. He looked down on his papers in order to allow himself to recompose his expression.

"So, Fuji-san, maybe you would like to hear what I have to say when your relatives will come? The nurses have called them. They should be on their way."

"No, it's alright. You must be a busy man, Sasaki sensei. It would be more practical if we talked about it now. I will inform everyone later."

"Very well, then." He shuffled through his papers and sat down on a chair beside his bed. Using his most reassuring tone, he began: "Well, the blow you received hasn't landed on your spine, which we are all grateful for, or otherwise the complications would have been a lot more serious. Right now, you may not feel any pain, but as the drugs wear off, you may start to feel acute pains occasionally running down your left leg. This is normal, so please do not panic when it happens."

He stopped, waiting for any potential question, but it never came, so he continued:

"Your case is known as sciatica, which is a kind of back pain. It is only minor, so with some rest and medicine, it should be fine. Here are the X-rays we took of your back…"

He took out two pictures from the pile of papers. Fuji looked at both of them. One showed his spinal cord, and the other one, his spinal column.

Sasaki sensei pointed at a dark region on the spinal cord X-ray. "This is the damaged region. The nerve you see here is the sciatic nerve, which has been irritated. We will run blood tests and do more X-rays in the next couple of days to see if your kidneys or any other vital organs may have been indirectly disturbed by the blow. If that is the case, then we will have to think about treatment by a qualified osteopath or chiropractor."

Fuji only understood one word on three of what the doctor was saying. He didn't get it. It seemed as if his brain was still at the stage of asking why he was here.

Sasaki sensei smiled at his patient. "However, that is only if it turns out to be more serious than it is. I looked at these two first x-rays, and I think two weeks of bed rest and daily back strengthening exercises will suffice."

Fuji nodded. His smile was still in place, but he could sense it falling down.

"When will I be able to move normally?" He finally asked.

"That will depend on how soon your acute pains will cease."

"Then… what about sports?"

"Ah well, about that…"

At that instant, someone knocked on the door, before it was being pushed open by Fuji's sister.

She greeted Sasaki sensei and then quickly rushed to Fuji's side. "Syusuke! How are you feeling? Sensei, he will be alright, won't he?"

"As I just explained to Fuji-san here, he has sciatica. He…"

"I will be alright, Neesan." Fuji interrupted. "The doctor said that some bed rest and exercises will help me through it…"

Yumiko grabbed his hand. "Is it true, Sensei?"

Sasaki sensei's eyes met with those of Fuji, and then he said: "Let's hope so! The tests we will run on Fuji-san for the next couple of days will help us determine with certitude how serious it is."

"Oh, Syusuke…"

Fuji smiled and patted her hand. "Come on, Neesan, don't put on that face. It's not as if I'm going to die, or anything."

Yumiko dried away the tears that were threatening to overflow from her eyes. "Yes, you are right, Syusuke. Gomen neh."

Sasaki sensei stood up. "Well then, that would be all. If the pain is too unbearable, just push on the red button there and a nurse will come immediately."

Fuji nodded. "Arigatou, Sasaki sensei."

"Sensei – Yumiko called out – a word with you, please! Syusuke, please do rest for now! Don't overdo it." She bent over and kissed him on the forehead.

"Neesan!" Fuji said, quite embarrassed.

Yumiko smiled at him and left the room. Sasaki nodded in Fuji's direction, took his pile of papers and prepared to follow Fuji's sister.

"Sasaki sensei!" Fuji called out softly.

"Yes?"

"To Neesan and to my friends, please don't tell them too much."

There was a silence.

"I'm sorry, but my status as a doctor does not allow me to lie about my patient's condition."

"I'm not telling you to lie, Sensei. Just don't tell them the whole truth. At least, not for now. Please!"

Sasaki sensei was now really troubled. His patient hadn't shown any emotions when they were talking about his condition, but he was, now.

"I will see what I can do."

"Arigato, Sasaki sensei."

The doctor left the room.

When silence enveloped him once again, Fuji allowed his smile to fade. He knew he should feel at least a little bit troubled by the doctor's words, but he didn't feel anything. He felt like it wasn't him they were talking about, but some unknown stranger. He didn't know how to explain it…

Detached.

Yes, that was right. He felt detached from the whole thing.

A few moments later, his thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of his friends and teammates. For a moment, the worried expression on their faces had made him fear that the doctor had told them everything, after all. But then, as they all saw that he was awake and apparently recognized all of them, they relaxed and started to throw jokes into the conversation.

Fuji smiled with them, looking calm and detached, but his mind was elsewhere. Just what was he supposed to feel? Why was he always so empty? He wondered where his real self was.

**End of flash back**

Now that his friends have finally left, he tried to move his legs, but couldn't. He pulled off the blanket, suddenly scared that they wouldn't be there or would be mutilated. He wanted to see them, to touch them.

They were there, looking perfectly normal. Fuji tried again to move them. Finally, his right knee bent and he was able to move it up. But his left leg remained motionless.

Lifeless, probably.

Fuji noticed he was sweating. He didn't understand. He wouldn't even sweat after playing two games of tennis, but he was sweating now.

Someone knocked on the door. Fuji startled, and then quickly pulled the blanket back over his body. Drawing in a deep inspiration, he let his calmness come back to him.

"Yes? Please come in." He finally said.

The door opened slowly, and he saw with surprise that Harumi was shyly standing in the threshold, still wearing the hospital's clothes. There was a band-aid on her cheek.  
She had bandages around her right arm, and he could guess the ones that must be enveloping her mid-section.

"Fuji! I finally found you!" She said excitedly – "man, this hospital is so huge! And they put us in completely different sections!"

She came in and closed the door behind her. Seeing that he was awake, she didn't try to contain her happiness as she walked to his bed and sat down beside him.

"Harumi-chan, are you sure you should be walking around?"

"Well, the doctors did forbid me of doing so, but… I wanted to see you."

She smiled and added quickly. "Well, I couldn't help it. You got me worried, baka!"

Fuji smiled. "That wasn't my intention."

"So, how are you feeling?"

"As good as I can be!"

"I see! Well, I saw a doctor coming out of your room earlier. So, what did he say?"

"Ah, nothing important, really."

Harumi frowned. He was being more evasive than usual. Well, it didn't matter. She was happy that the whole incident had a happy ending. No one was seriously hurt. Except for the guy who was in a coma, of course. She should go and visit him later.

"Amaya and the others told me that the doctor said your spine wasn't damaged! I was so relieved! I would feel bad if because of me, you would have ended up hurt or something…"

As she jumped from that topic to how bad the hospital food tasted, Fuji let his mind wander once more.

If she would feel guilty about his condition, then he had one more reason not to tell her anything.

Suddenly, pain shoot down his left leg. It was so sudden that he couldn't help but to wince. Harumi noticed.

"…Fuji? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I needed to change my position, that's all. Ah, this bed is pretty uncomfortable. I thought this hospital would have softer ones…"

Harumi looked at the sweat on his brow. There was definitely something wrong. Suddenly, a sense of doom enclosed her chest in an iron grip. She fought it back.

"I see! – she said cheerfully – well, hum, I was saying that… I was so happy that my giant bunny wasn't lost in the chaos! Someone must have picked it up and put it in our ambulance, even though I didn't see it at that time!"

"Really? I'm glad for you!"

"Of course, I wouldn't want to lose it since you gave it to me! And also, it's so kawaii! So, imagine my surprise when on my way here, I passed near the front desk and saw it lurking behind a pile of folders! I guess the people here didn't know what do to with a giant bunny, huh? I will go and claim it later!"

Fuji smiled. "You seem to really like it, Harumi-chan!"

_He can't possibly know to which extent that bunny is important to me_!

She smiled teasingly. "That's because it resembles you, Fuji!"

Fuji actually let out a laugh that made Harumi's heart beat faster. She didn't know why, but it sounded like a true and sincere laugh.

"Yes? Why is that?" Fuji asked.

_Well, it's soft and kawaii, and it's always smiling with those sparkling eyes, and it looks so sweet and gentle, as if inviting you into a big, warm hug._

"Eto… - she staggered – well… I don't know, but it just does…"

Suddenly, she saw it again. Fuji's eyes opened briefly as he gritted his teeth. His left hand unconsciously grabbed his left leg. Harumi's breath stopped. He was in pain. She knew he was.

_Nonsense! He is fine. He told me himself. He is fine._

"Fuji!"

The tensai turned towards her.

"You lied – she said – it still hurts, doesn't it? What is it? And don't tell me you are fine, because I won't buy it anymore!"

Every second, her sense of foreboding was increasing. She knew it all along. She was close to him when he received the blow. She had sensed something breaking in him when he had held her in his arms to protect her.

Still, Fuji wouldn't speak. She felt worry and frustration building up inside her chest.

"Fuji, please tell me! Don't think you are sparing me any worries by not telling me! I want to know! Fuji!"

She grabbed his arm. Fuji turned towards her, his face unreadable. He smiled. She recognized that smile now. That fake smile he used to put on when he wanted to avoid feeling anything. There were his true smiles, that she loved, and these fake ones, that she loathed.

"Harumi-chan." He stated calmly. Harumi stopped shouting and fell silent, her purple eyes imploring him.

In a casual voice, he started: "The doctor said I have something called sciatica. They are still going to run some more tests to see how it turns out. The details are unimportant. Whatever happens, it will be alright." He delivered the whole thing with his usual calmness.

Harumi pulled away from him, her eyes shining with anger and disbelief.

"What? What is going to be alright? How can you be so casual about it? It's like… you don't care at all about what happens to you! And how can I not worry about you when I see you reacting like that? It's alright to show your emotions sometimes! You always look so indifferent about everything…"

She realized tears were running down her cheeks. She didn't know why, and it frustrated her that Fuji was seeing her cry so helplessly in front of him. She breathed in deeply and turned her back to him.

"It's okay… It's okay to show your emotions sometimes! No one is going to scold you for it! When you happy, or sad, or worried, you can show it. That's what makes you human. You don't need to hide everything within yourself… to be the only one to carry your burdens…"

She dried the tears on her cheeks, but they were quickly being replaced by new ones. She couldn't stop crying, because he was always so far from her. As her heart was falling deeper and deeper, he was drifting farther and farther away, like a star in the firmament, always, always too far to reach.

She couldn't stand it anymore. It hurt to be left out over and over again, to not be told anything. She felt like she was a bother to him, always worrying about him when apparently he didn't need her to.

"That's… enough… - she silently sobbed – where is your true self, Fuji? Where?"

She could sense Fuji's stare on her back, so intense that it was painful. From the far corner of her mind, she realized the bluntness of what she just said. Despair flowed over her.

How could he forgive her for saying all that? It was all over before it even started. Now, she couldn't face him anymore. She wanted to take back everything she said, but it was too late. He must be so angry. Oh, but she almost forgot, he never showed anger, either.

Weeping, filled with bitterness and guilt, she ran towards the door.

"… Harumi-chan."

She paused.

"… the truth is that… I'm scared."

Startled, she froze.

_He's lying. He must be. _

"I don't know what is going to happen. For the first time, it seems that things are out of my control. I can't move my left leg. I'm scared."

Slowly, slowly, she turned around to face him. His eyes were open; his blue eyes were so earnest.

And vulnerable.

Slowly, she walked towards him. Fuji's attempt to smile failed. Suddenly, he was pulled in her embrace. His eyes widened in surprise.

Harumi closed her eyes as she held him tight against her chest.

"Fuji…arigato… for telling me."

Then, she sank on the bed beside him and hugged him even tighter; she felt Fuji letting himself go against her shoulder. Still, her tears would not stop.

"It's normal to be scared, Fuji… But I want you to know that you are not alone. You are going to get through this, and if you are worrying about playing tennis again, I know, I _know_, that you are going to be on a court again. Let's not give up, neh?"

After a moment, he said: "Arigato, Harumi-chan."

They stayed like this for awhile, and then Harumi slowly released him from her hug, and rested her palms against his chest. She could feel his muscles under her hands. Her heart was beating fast. Her head was pounding, and she felt as if she was watching herself from outside of her body. She didn't understand. Something in her chest seemed to be blooming.

"Fuji." She called gently.

Fuji smiled at her, a true smile. "Hai?"

She blinked, and then looked up at him. The intensity of those blue eyes made her gasp a little.

"I love you, Fuji."

She felt a blank inside her brain once the three doomed words were pronounced. Suddenly, she was back in her body, staring in horror at what she just said. She covered her mouth, wishing to go back in time, to erase everything. How could she…?

There was a very long silence. She could feel the tension in the air. She didn't dare to look up at him.

And still, she hoped.

Finally, he spoke: "Harumi-chan… gomen nasai."

_Gomen nasai…_

_Gomen nasai…_

Suddenly, it was as if a black curtain was being pulled in her mind. She didn't understand the meaning of that word. What did "gomennasai" mean?

She told herself she was expecting this. That this was a possibility she had contemplated. But still, it hurt. Like a thousand needles to her heart.

"Why?" She whispered. "Am I that unpleasant?"

She tried to meet his eyes but he was looking away.

"It's not that! No. I can't give you what you are looking for, Harumi-chan."

Being so close to him hurt her even more. She pulled away from him with trembling hands. Her world was falling apart, piece by piece.

"Then why? Why? Why did you save me back then in the mountains, why did you risk your life for me? Why did you always act like you cared? Why did you ask me to… to call you Syusuke? Why? WHY?" She yelled.

Fuji still wouldn't look at her.

"I'm sorry it seemed that way."

Harumi stood up and slowly recoiled towards the door. Once her back was pressed against the wall, she could feel her chest rising and falling heavily. Fuji finally looked at her. His face was blurry to her eyes, so she couldn't see what his expression was.

She turned around and ran out of the room and into the hallway, the whole world blurry to her eyes. Her mid-section hurt.

Tears were flowing from her eyes as she ran. Now, it was over for sure. Everything was over. The picture of Fuji and her being together shattered in her mind, and every shard sank into her soul, like a knife.

Suddenly, as she continued to run, her chest exploded in pain. She fell on her knees, bent over and spit blood out of her mouth. Something was hurting inside of her.

Someone was calling her by her name, but her mind dived into darkness.

* * *

It had been two weeks since she was in the hospital, and today was the day she was finally checking out. Harumi sat on her bed, looking out at the snow falling outside her window. The small snowflakes were like feathers, drifting slowly and gently until they reached the ground. 

Her mom was sitting behind her, running an ivory comb through her long hair.

"There!" Yuki Yamazaki finally said. "You look beautiful today, Harumi! You must be happy to be coming home today!"

The young girl nodded. "Hai."

"So, what would you like to eat tonight? Your dad will be cooking, which is literally a miracle. God knows he only cooks for special occasions!"

"Anything would be fine."

Yuki looked at her daughter with concern. She was acting like that ever since she had woken up, and her mother couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. At first, she had thought that it was the shock from having surgery, due to some minor internal bleeding caused by the blow to her mid-section. However, it soon appeared that even during her recovery, she didn't look interested in anything, as if she barely cared about getting better.

She wasn't her cheerful self either. Her eyes were always in a daze, as if she barely knew where she was or who the people surrounding her were.

Yuki had asked her doctor if it was an effect of the surgery, and the doctor had said that it was hard to tell, but that it was probably some sort of psychological shock.

Yuki pulled her daughter into a warm hug, but she noticed that it was as if she was holding a doll instead of a living thing. From below her mother's arm, Harumi's eyes were fixed on the snow falling outside the window. Slowly… gently…

"Harumi, what's wrong with you, honey? Please, talk to me."

Harumi smiled. "Nothing, mom! I'm fine. We will be going home, right? Everything will be just fine."

Yuki sighed. Every time she had asked that question, she had been held back with the same answer.

"Well, then, I'm going to go and sign you off at the front desk. Your dad and your brother will be picking you up shortly. Do you have all your stuff packed and ready to go?"

The young girl nodded.

Yuki hugged her again. "Then, see you in a moment. I love you, honey!"

Harumi's eyes widened slightly at those three words. "I… me too, mom."

She couldn't say those words anymore. It seemed that something dark was lurking at the side of her mind whenever she thought about them.

She was left alone. She slowly walked to the window and stuck her forehead to the cool glass. The snow outside was still falling, indifferent to everything, covering the whole world under a blanket of cold and slumber.

She recognized that scenery. It was snowing in her heart, as well. Soon, everything would freeze and stand still, and then she could go to sleep, and shut out the pain forever.

The door opened behind her.

"Congratulations on going home today, nya!" A familiar voice boomed in her ear, ripping off her concentration on the falling snow.

She turned around and saw Eiji on the threshold, who was trying to take off his coat with one hand while his other was holding a small package. Being clumsy as usual, he soon entangled himself more instead of the opposite effect.

Eiji's entrance was so opposite to the coldness outside that she felt dizzy. The air around him always seemed to be irradiating warmth, and life. To be around him was like to enter a different world.

She stayed where she was, not sure if she really wanted to be near him at that moment. Finally, Eiji managed to somehow take off his coat, and approached her with the little package in his hands.

"Here! This is from everyone at the tennis club! And I also have your homework from the teachers. It sucks that you still need to catch up while being in the hospital, miu!"

Harumi took everything from him. "Thank you, Eiji."

"No problem, no problem! And, I have something for you, too! I bet you will like it!"

"Really? What is it?"

"I left it outside! I really wanted to surprise you! Wait!"

The red head hopped excitedly to the door and bent over to take something off the ground from the corridor outside.

And suddenly, it was in front of her. The giant stuffed bunny.

Harumi's eyes widened as images flashed by her mind.

_Winter carnival._

_Fuji giving it to her._

_Fuji._

She closed her eyes and shut out the memories while recoiling until her back was pressed against the cold glass.

"I found it today, nya! I was walking down the main hall and it was behind a desk, and I was thinking…."

Eiji kept on talking but she couldn't make out what he was saying. She couldn't detach her eyes from that bunny. The only thing she could think of was that, whatever would come to pass, at least her heart couldn't break into any smaller pieces.

"You can keep it, Eiji." She finally said in an even voice.

The snow outside was falling regularly, indifferently, uninterrupted. There was a moment of silence.

"You… don't like it, Harumi, nya?"

Harumi actually managed to smile. "I wouldn't know where to put it."

Eiji was now looking at her carefully. He knew she wasn't her usual self since the surgery. The Harumi he knew would have been overjoyed by a gift like that. He thought it preferable to change the subject a little, hopefully to something she enjoyed talking about.

"Harumi! Have you been to visit Fuji lately? I heard he's handling it pretty well! I can't believe he actually kept his sickness from us until the rehabilitation! But now, he's making good progress, nya!"

Harumi knew what that meant. Yes, it meant that he had suffered alone through all the pain; she knew she had promised he wouldn't be alone anymore, but what could she do? She felt a pang of pain at that thought, but quickly drowned it within herself.

"So, would you like to go and see him before you go?" Eiji asked enthusiastically.

"No, maybe another time." Harumi answered.

Eiji saw a flash of pain in her eyes, which left him alarmed.

Her family chose that moment to come in. Yuki, her husband and Katsuo appeared in front of her.

"Yo, Haru! – Katsuo greeted her casually while taking her bag – let's go!"

Her dad ruffled through her hair. "How's my little girl doing today? I made you some Italian spaghetti! Nothing better than foreign food to change your thoughts a little bit!"

"Arigato, otousan."

Katsuo eyed the bunny suspiciously. "Oh, you have a new toy there, oneechan."

Before she could say anything, he said to Eiji. "Bring it over, man!"

Eiji looked uncertainly at Harumi, but the young girl didn't look in his direction.

They all went out of the room and walked towards the exit. After one minute or so, they saw the doctor who had taken care of Harumi standing near his office. He greeted them and proposed to walk with them till the main doors.

After some flaps of stairs, Harumi suddenly recognized the hall they were walking in. She knew Fuji's room was in this section of the hospital. She remembered her first and last visit as if it all happened the day before.

It hurt.

When they passed by his door, she heard the notes of a flute coming from inside the room. She paused in spite of herself. She remembered that melody clearly, but this time, it sounded sad and forlorn.

It sounded lonely.

"Ah, this is Fujiko's room!" Eiji declared from behind her.

Harumi wanted to move her legs, but she was frozen on the spot. She couldn't get away from that lonely melody, for it reflected exactly the torments of her own heart.

She felt drawn to it.

And then, it came to an end. Silence enveloped her. As the effects of the flute on her disappeared, she started walking again, without looking in the direction of Fuji's room.

And then…

"That was lovely, Syusuke." A girl's voice came from the other side of the door.

For the first time since the surgery, Harumi felt her heart really beating inside her chest.

The seconds ticked by, slowly, too slowly.

"Arigato, Sayuri." Fuji's voice answered.

Tears ran down her cheeks silently as she continued to walk, not looking back.

* * *

Ok, I'm actually going to be sadistic and stop the story here! Hehe, well, hope you all enjoyed my little touch of drama. And I've added a picture of Amaya and Oishi in my profile, so check it out if you are interested in seeing how my characters look like, lol. But I must warn you, because of my sucky skills in anything related to special effects with pictures and all that, don't expect something fancy, it's just two pictures put together! XD 

And thanks a lot for all the reviews, guys!!

**JayleeJ:** thanks for the review! You were the first one this time! Yah, well, it is a love triangle… so someone has to get hurt in this kind of situations. Im not saying it should be Eiji, though. I sill have to see about that. Ok, what do you mean by… he's too perfect? I think he's pretty un-perfect right now. I'd like to hear your opinion on that one. I don't wanna turn him into a "mary sue" or whatever they call that, LOL.

**Morggie85:** yeah, Kenji is like 100 times worse than before. When you engage yourself in the crime and robbery business, you are gonna get worse over time, for sure. The coma guy… omg, I guess I will make him be alright to compensate for the fact that I just threw him into the story and made him get almost killed, lol. Yeah, im actually working on the Eiji Mai relationship; im thinking about the possibilities here! Anyways, thanks for reviewing!!!

**Singer in the wind:** yeah, I think its better for it to stay FujiOC as well. After all, the story is centered on those two characters. Or maybe it could become like a FujiOCEiji, or something. But I wont change it cause im too lazy anyways, lol. Hope you liked this one!

**White Alchemist Taya:** hmm, I was thinking of love-squares… but I think the real name is something else. Im pretty sure I saw it somewhere… now its like a possible love-pentagon, LOL. Hm, this story is getting out of hand.

**Koolasapixels:** thanks!!! Ah, what do you mean you haven't read everything? Aren't you at chapter 17 already? Well, in this one it becomes a lot less "nice.", lol. XD.

**Anime 300:** thanks for the review! Yah, poor Eiji! Im gonna make him some apple pie to help him through… but he might have a chance now.

**Hajimari:** Mai is really strict, but she's the shy type too. She really doesn't know much about feelings and stuff like that. Haha, so you are turning into a Harumi-Eiji fan, now? People all have different views on how the couples should be in the future. Im having fun writing this, hehe!! Thanks a lot for the review!

**Munny:** haha, ok, im gonna do a vote later. At this stage, its still too early to tell. And maybe some people are gonna change opinions later, I don't know. Thanks for the review!

**Moonlight19**: omg, tons of thanks for your long review!! Im happy you are looking forward to my chapters, its really great to hear, and of course it motivates me to do better for next time. And yeah, you are right, I don't see the point of writing a short chapter that says nothing… and then you guys would have to wait for another week without having read anything, really. So, im trying to pack my chapters with at least some substance, lol.

Well, for this chapter, you all got a little taste of Fuji's thoughts. Its not much, but its there! Im not sure if it's a good idea to write stuff from his point of view, so im trying not to reveal too much just yet. But things are definitely not what they seem to be. Mai is jealous of Harumi, even though she probably doesn't know it herself. Omg, I studied like crazy this week. The labs are not a matter of studying, though. I just don't get them. I just… don't. and that sucks like big time. But I did study a lot for other things… crrrap, im probably becoming a nerd, LOL. So writing this is kind of fun because I can escape from my school work!! So, don't worry, I will definitely keep writing!! Thanks for the review!! (hugs moonlight). Take care, girl!

**Rita**: omg, thanks a lot!! Hehe, did you really sneak down the stairs to check on the updates? Haha, I can actually picture you doing that! You are so funny! And of course, thanks a lot for liking this story so much! If you want to be notified for any of my updates, you can put my story on your alert list or something. I don't know if it works well, but I know there is such a thing! ;p

**Eiji.K.lover123**: haha, thanks a lot for your review!!! Yes, Mai likes Eiji. So the love triangle just turned into a love-square… or something like that. Lolz! Hope you liked this one. And ps; its good to be addicted, hehe!

**AuroraRose:** roger that! New update for you, girl! Hope you liked it.

**Bloody vengeful soul**: lol, seems like you didn't see that one coming. Yah, she fancies Eiji. Lets see whats gonna happen from all this… im having fun writing this, darn it! Lol.

**Kur-chan**: thanks a loooot!!! I like to inject drama into my stories, so if you like emotional stuff, you will be satisfied! (at least, I hope!):p.

**Crazy Bubbling Blonde**: hmm, good question. What is the contrary of no-drama? I guess its comedy. Or like… just… boring stuff, I guess. Lol. Wow, the ending is like still pretty far away. I don't know yet. Maybe if you all cry too much, I will make it a happy ending to compensate for everything, lol.

**Livelyrose**: ok, thank you for the challenge, girl!

**Fuyu Hakumei**: haha, you are lucky! This chapter must have come quicker for you than for the other guys!! Well, enjoy then!!! ;p . oh, and btw you are a new reader, right? Then you can now experience my new and now improved Kikumaru welcome: "Eiji: Welcome to the story, Fuyu Hakumei, nya! Hope you will have a great time reading this! And don't forget to show plenty of love to your number one character in this story, ie me, Kikumaru Eiji-kun, neh?"


	19. Heartache

**Heartache**

"Neechan, Harumi has been pretty quiet lately, hasn't she?"

Naoki looked at her twin sister from behind the huge history book she was reading, and arched an eyebrow.

"What? Even _you_ noticed?"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Because…" Naoki's thoughts trailed off as she finished the sentence she was reading.

"Because?"

"Yeah, because normally you would be too captivated by Tezuka to notice anything else."

"Tseh!" Naoko crossed her arms, and looked outside the window. It had been more than two weeks already, but the snow was still falling intermittently. This kind of weather was pretty rare, and was plunging everyone into a depressed mood.

"So? How is it actually going with the glasses guy?"

"It's going as usual… nothing changed… really."

Naoki closed her book and put it down noisily on the library table. "Listen, neechan, you have to affirm yourself more, or else he will never notice you."

"That… that is impossible. You know I can't do that! I don't have you as a sister for nothing, but I have been following your plans for two years now, and none of them have worked."

She suddenly frowned at the same time as Naoki groaned. "But why are we talking about me? I think there is definitely something wrong with Harumi."

"What? She underwent surgery, didn't she? She's probably feeling weird because of that."

"Well… it's been four days since she has returned to school! I know surgery can be traumatizing, but… she seems like a totally different person, now!" Naoko pondered with one finger on her chin.

"Well, I can't say that you don't have a point there, Naoko. It's probably because Fuji is not here. You know how she gets all up and hyper when he's around. So him being absent must have the contrary effect on her."

"Well, if that's the case, then she will be happy soon!"

"Yeah, Fuji is returning to school today. What time is it?"

"Five minutes to eight. Almost time to go to class."

"Well, let's hope I'm gonna ace this history test as usual. If not, it would be totally your fault, neechan."

"Of course… blame everything on me."

* * *

Harumi entered the classroom and sat down at her usual place. It was English class. She was actually early today because she had gone to the gym before coming to class. There, she had met up with Aika and Chiharu, who would regularly train there every other morning. 

Kaidoh, Inui and Takasan from the male team were there as well.

Harumi didn't have a habit of training during mornings, but recently she couldn't sleep well, so she thought it was more efficient to burn up some negative energy before starting her day.

As usual, she stared at the desk beside her, which was empty. She didn't feel anything. Every morning, she would throw a glance at where Fuji was supposed to be sitting. She didn't know why she was doing it. It was like a reflex. And every time that she saw it was unoccupied, she would feel relieved deep down inside.

From where she was sitting, she saw the teacher coming into the classroom, and Eiji squeezing inside from behind him. He was late, as usual.

"I made it again!" He exclaimed in a loud voice, unaware of the teacher's dark stare at his back.

He smiled upon seeing the young girl. "Ohayo, Harumi!" He greeted her cheerfully.

Harumi nodded in response. As he bounced by her table, he lifted his hand and let a paper ball drop on her lap. Harumi looked up at him, her expression unreadable to him. Eiji just winked before sitting down heavily behind her.

The teacher cleared his throat and started his boring lecture.

Harumi took out her books and her pencil case, but didn't open one nor the other. She rested her chin on her palm and looked outside, at the snow still falling down. It was harder and harder to walk on the streets, for in some places the snow had piled up until covering up one's ankles.

Suddenly, there was a wave of whispers in the classroom. Harumi slowly looked up from her daydreaming, and felt her heart stop.

Fuji was there, in front of her. Suddenly, there was no more classroom, or teacher, or classmates. He was everything that her dilated pupils could see. Slowly, he looked in her direction.

She kept her eyes locked on to his for a moment before dropping her gaze to her knees.

"Fuji!"

"Look! It's Fuji! He's back!"

"Yaho! Fujikoo!" Eiji waved his arm broadly at him.

"Silence, class!" The teacher ordered.

When the whispers died out in the room, he pursued: "Well, welcome back among us, Fuji!"

"Arigatou, sensei."

Harumi actually gasped when she heard his voice. She hasn't heard it for so long. She got a hold of herself. She would not allow him to have any effect on her anymore.

"Well, go and sit down for now, and make sure to catch up. Since you were not there, you will have to work twice as much as the others. Don't forget that the test is next week."

Fuji nodded. The teacher's eagle stare traveled around the room.

"Kikumaru!" He called.

Eiji jumped up from his chair and dropped the little snack he was in the middle of unwrapping. "Hai!"

"Lend your notes to Fuji, and I will be counting on you to explain to him everything we have done so far."

"Roger that!" Eiji exclaimed. His loudness made him earn another one of the teacher's dark glares.

"Well then, now back to what we were discussing before…"

Fuji slowly made his way to his desk. Harumi kept her eyes on her lap and forced herself to think of nothing and to feel nothing. However, her body would betray her at every occasion. When he would turn a page from his book, she would startle. When he would change positions on his chair, she would sense it. When he would write down something on his sheet of paper, she would get so tense it seemed her strings would snap.

Even though she tried to close all her senses to him, she was awfully aware of his every move. It made her nervous, and angry.

She barely noticed that the teacher had finished his lecture.

"Well then! – the teacher finally said – for the twenty minutes that remain, we will do group work. Please get into groups of two or three, and discuss the figurative meaning of the daffodils in the short novel we just read. Go!"

Groans and low protestations issued from several sections of the classroom, before tables and chairs were scraping the floor as students moved them to form little intimate circles.

Eiji pushed his desk in the space between Fuji and Harumi. "Fujiko! Fujiko! I'm so glad to see you! How is your back?"

"It's healed, now!" Fuji answered somewhat rigidly.

"Yokatta!!! Okay, now that we have our tensai with us, we are going to be the number one group in the class! Let's work as a team, neh?"

His enthusiasm dropped by one notch when neither Fuji nor Harumi said anything.

"Is there… a problem?" He finally asked, insecure.

"No problem." "Sure." Fuji and Harumi said at the same time.

Eiji looked from one to the other, and finally dropped his gaze down to the sheet of paper in front of him. The atmosphere around them was so tense that even the redhead could feel it, and that left him troubled. It wasn't the normal atmosphere. There was a moment of silence, before Eiji scratched his head and twiddled uncomfortably on his chair.

Slowly, discreetly, he raised his eyes from the paper in front of him to spy on his two classmates. Harumi's face was hidden behind her book, and Fuji was seemingly reading his; only the force with which he squeezed his pencil betrayed his true state of mind behind that polite expression of his.

The redhead didn't understand. It was almost as if Harumi and Fuji had had a fight. However, that notion alone sounded ridiculous to him: how could Fuji and Harumi ever fight?

But, if there was really something wrong between them, then that would also explain Harumi's behavior this last couple of weeks. He couldn't be sure of it at the hospital, but he was starting to have his doubts now.

Finally, he couldn't stand the tension anymore.

"Miu… I don't understand anything – he exclaimed loudly - I mean, forget about the symbolism of the daffodil or whatever, I don't even get the story."

Fuji nodded, and turned a page on his book. Harumi didn't show signs that she heard him.

Eiji got closer: "Ano… Guys…what does "ai an-deru-stando" mean?"

"It means "wakari masu", Eiji." Fuji answered while gliding his finger along the line he was reading.

"Ah, sankyou!"

The minutes passed by. They were like a little island of silence surrounded by the soft buzz of the other groups' conversations. For once, Eiji didn't dare to let his mouth run wild and risk saying something he would come to regret. Finally, he gave up and flaunted himself on his desk.

"Nap time, nya!"

To his misfortune, the teacher just happened to pass near their spot. His glasses shimmered as he saw the redhead not even pretending to figure out the problem.

"Kikumaru!" He boomed.

Eiji jumped up. "H…Hai!"

"Maybe you'd like to spend some time in the corridor while you wake yourself up!"

Eiji sighed. He was really unlucky today. "Hai…" He replied without enthusiasm before trailing off to the door. He guessed he could be happy he didn't get a detention, but still… there were only five minutes left before the end of the class! Some people looked in his direction and laughed.

Harumi was awfully aware that she was left alone with Fuji.

_What's up with Eiji… that baka… why did he get caught at a time like this? _

She rubbed her wet palm against her thigh. Why was Fuji so close to her? She thought about picking up her stuff and just leaving. What did Fuji think of her, now? She must have looked so lame, confessing her feelings to him, only finding out that he loved someone else.

_It must be because of Sayuri that he said "no" to me. I couldn't understand it, but I do, now. I remember him calling out for her when he was sick. It was so obvious from the very beginning. I knew a person like him couldn't be single. Why did I have to be so stupid… and childish… Why did I have to cry… and yell in front of him? He must think poorly of me, now. _

She drew her hand into a fist. _Why did I have to confess? We should have just stayed friends… so why did I have to confess? If I hadn't, I would still be able to talk to him normally. But do I really want to talk to him now? Every time I look at him… it hurts…_

Lost in her thoughts, she loosened her grip on her book and let it fall down. She watched with a kind of weary surprise as it fell on the floor, still open at the page she was reading. She bent over to pick it up, but her hand knocked against that of Fuji, instead.

Gasping, she looked up at him and saw him bending over to pick up her book as well. For a moment, she stared into his face, longing and pain swirling up in her chest.

Since she had stopped moving, and seemed to be paralyzed on her chair, Fuji proceeded to pick up the book and to put it on her desk. Slowly, Harumi straightened up.

"Harumi-chan…" He finally whispered in a low voice, almost too low for her to hear.

She stood up, cutting him off. Without looking at him, she picked up her book and her school bag and walked towards the exit.

"Yamazaki!" The teacher called out at the same time as the bell rang.

In a second, Harumi had disappeared in the swarm of students rushing towards their next class. Fuji stayed seated a while longer, looking in the direction in which she had disappeared, his hair masking his eyes from view.

* * *

Harumi walked to her next class like an automat, her head full of emotions that Fuji's return had arisen in her soul. 

She had made preparations for this day. She told herself she would ignore him, and not let him affect her in any way. She had told herself she should just forget about him, about this stupid pain in her chest. But all her efforts were in vain. She couldn't ignore him, and she couldn't forget.

_And I can't be friends with him anymore. It's better if I stop seeing him altogether, but I can't, since we are in the same class. _

_Then, I have to be strong, and stop thinking about him. _

_But I can't. Why? Why can't I? There is no hope. _

_He likes someone else. _

_He likes someone else._

She kept on repeating those words to herself, even though it hurt. She wanted to always keep them in mind in order for her heart to let him go.

Suddenly, she bumped into Amaya.

"Woah, Harumi!"

"Gomen…" She said.

"No problem! But… where are you going?"

"To my science class." She mumbled while repositioning her bag on her shoulder.

"Huh? Then you are going in the wrong direction! Geez, are you still getting lost after all this time?" She teased her.

"… ah, you are right."

Harumi turned around and started walking in the opposite direction. Amaya suddenly grabbed her arm and forced her friend to face her. "Wait a second Harumi! Don't look so mad, I was just joking, you know?"

Her green eyes were showing concern.

"Un, I know."

The swarm of students around them had dispersed somehow. They were almost alone in the hallway, near a big windowsill. Outside, the snow was still calmly falling down.

"Harumi, what's wrong?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You don't seem like yourself, lately!" Amaya smiled gently. "If you were worried about Fuji, you should be cheering up right now, neh? He is back! Did you see him?"

She felt a sudden burst of anger in her chest. _Why is everyone talking about Fuji? Why do they think that I'm worried about him? Eiji, Amaya, everyone! Why do they just go and assume things like that? _

She took a short breath and buried those thoughts within herself.

"I guess it's the weather." She smiled. "Don't worry about me, Amaya. I'm fine."

Amaya's grab tightened. "No, Harumi, you are not! You used to tell me everything! Am I not your friend? Come on, you can trust me. It will help if you let it out."

Harumi smiled. "What are you talking about, Amaya? Don't just go assuming things like that. I'm fine, I told you."

Amaya sighed. "Sure you are! You may fool the others, but you can't fool me. Who do you think I am, Harumi? Why don't you tell me anything?"

Harumi was suddenly reminded of herself saying something like that to Fuji.

_Why is that? What is going on? Am I… becoming like him?_

This thought shook her entire self. She freed herself from Amaya's grip with a jerk. She shook her head.

"No… Amaya… no… that's not it."

She turned her back to her friend and ran.

"Matte! Harumi! Matte!" Amaya called out from behind her.

She closed her eyes and kept on running, and running, her heart pounding in her chest.

"_Why don't you tell me anything?"_

She didn't know why. If she couldn't confront that reality herself, how could she talk about it to others? So far, no one knew about that shameful thing, and she intended it to stay that way.

* * *

She was walking alone on the icy sidewalk. The snow had begun to fall with renewed intensity, and the unforgiving wind was blowing directly into her face. She passed by illuminated coffee shops and bars, but didn't stop to rest in these little warm and lightened places. She was walking alone under the snow. 

Her house finally arrived into view. As she pushed open the front door, she was welcomed by darkness.

The electricity was out.

"Okasan?" She called. Maybe her mom wasn't home yet.

A shadow sprang into life from one corner of the main hallway and jumped on her.

"Boo!"

Harumi looked distastefully at her brother Katsuo, arms spread wide in front of him, trying to imitate a scarecrow.

"Ha! You were scared back there, huh? Huh?"

Harumi didn't smile. "Where is okasan, Katsuo?"

"She is in the kitchen, looking for candles! Man, this is like so cool! A general power outage in the whole area! I feel like in one of those horror movies!"

He jerked his head back and imitated the howl of a wolf. Harumi sighed: and he was supposed to be his older brother. She passed him by and walked into the kitchen. Katsuo looked at her disappearing figure with one eyebrow arched.

"Neechan is not herself… - he mumbled to himself – she didn't react to anything I said. Normally, she would say "Halloween is over, baka!" or something…"

He scratched his head.

In the meantime, Harumi had discharged herself from her school bag and had sat down at the kitchen table. Everything was dark around her; she could barely discern her mother's shadow at the other end of the kitchen, rummaging through the different drawers.

The main door opened again as Harumi's dad entered the house.

"Man, it's so cold outside! And why is it so dark in here, woman?" His booming voice echoed around the restricted space of the hallway.

"Power outage, didn't you hear? And honey, please shake off the snow before putting your coat in the closet!"

"Hai, hai!"

"Well, I don't seem to be able to find any candles in here. Katsuo, go and look in the attic room. I'm sure there are still some in there!"

Katsuo froze in his mimics. "But… mom! What if like… the girl in "the Grudge" appears?"

Yuki came out of the kitchen and walked slowly to where her husband was shaking his coat in wide motions.

"What are you talking about, boy?"

"Yeah! You know! The super scary girl with rotten flesh, a missing jaw, and hair hanging all over the place! And she would come into your bed and suck you from under the covers! And she hides in the attic! And…ita, itaa!!"

Katsuo was interrupted by his mom pinching his left ear between two fingers.

"Stop saying stupid stuff and go!"

"Fine, but if I die I will so come back and haunt you!"

Yuki sighed.

"I didn't raise my boy to be such a chicken! Come, Katsuo, I will show you that there is no rotten girl up in the attic!" His dad said while taking his arm and pulling him along the hall, and up the stairs.

Yuki watched them leave with arched eyebrows. Her eldest son sure was a noisy one. She came back to the kitchen and sat down beside her daughter, who was unusually silent. She knew Harumi well, and she could sense it when something important was troubling her. It all started at the hospital, and ever since then she had urged Harumi to tell her what was on her mind, but Harumi would always reply with a smile that she was fine.

She wondered where her equally noisy daughter had gone to. Since she had come back, she would barely eat, and at night, she would just sit on her bed and look dreamily at the falling snow. Occasionally, Yuki would hear her whisper something in her room, apparently to herself.

She was worried about her daughter.

They both sat in silence in the dark. Outside, the nearest street lamps from the sidewalk were throwing weak rays of light into the room where they were, barely illuminating their features. Everything looked grotesque and repulsive to Harumi's eyes.

"Neh, okasan, can I ask you something?" Harumi inquired quietly.

"Yes, honey, what is it?" Her mom answered gently while resting her chin on her hands.

"When you married otousan, how did you know he was the right one for you?"

Yuki looked surprised for a while. She didn't think her daughter would already start thinking about that kind of things. And then it struck her: the reason why she was acting the way she was. She thought about an appropriate answer.

"Well, the truth is that…. I wasn't sure of anything. I didn't know if he would be the right one for me, if I could really trust my heart to him. But, what I did know was that when I was with him, I didn't want to think about a far away future and about bad possibilities that may never come to pass. I wanted to see him happy, because his happiness was mine, just like his pain would be mine, as well. I guess that is what you call sharing your life with someone.

"I… don't understand."

"Well, I didn't either. I didn't know if he would love me as much I loved him, but there was just something about him… I wouldn't know how to explain it… something that told me that I wanted to risk everything I had for him, because being happy together, even for a little while, would be worth it."

"Mom… you really love dad."

"Maa, I guess you could say it like that. But, what is love, really? Even now, I still don't know. It's a concept too complicated for me to grasp. Nowadays people say "I love you" too easily. I'm sure they don't really understand what it means. In fact, what you say doesn't really matter, it's your true feelings that do." Yuki smiled gently.

Harumi rolled these words in her mind.

"Then… what would you have done if you had discovered that dad liked someone else, instead?"

Yuki frowned. "Well, I'd probably kick his ass and tell him he is making the biggest mistake of his life, cause I am his woman, and no one else!"

She laughed, but soon stopped when she saw that Harumi was staying composed. Slowly, she took her daughter's hand in hers. Harumi raised her eyes towards her mom's. She could vaguely discern her soft features in the dark.

"Well, there are some things in this world that you shouldn't give up on without putting a fight. Some things are too precious for you to let them go that easily… Love, friendship, they are not just words, you know. They are the most beautiful things in this life."

"No, I think that… they are painful."

"Honey, I don't know what makes you say that, but joy and pain, sweetness and bitterness, they all come in pairs. For people who have tasted bitterness, the sweetness that comes after that will seem even more wonderful. People who have been happy all their lives can not possibly know what true happiness is, because they have nothing to compare it to."

Harumi stayed silent.

"Harumi – her mom's voice sounded serious – where did your fighting spirit go to? The Harumi I know would never lie down on the dirt after receiving a blow. She would get up and fight back, especially if her reason for doing so is important to her."

Harumi looked up at her mom, surprised.

"I… I guess you are right, okasan!"

Yuki gave her hand a squeeze. "Of course that I am right! I am the smart Yuki Yamazaki, after all!"

At that moment, they saw a small light floating towards them, soon being followed by the two men's figures.

"We found them!" Katsuo declared proudly.

"Not without him being scared out of his mind first!" Otousan said with a big laugh while giving a powerful pat to his son's shoulders, making him fly forwards into the kitchen.

"Otouuuusan! That is not true!"

Yuki laughed. "My, my, looks like we have got a little light, now."

Harumi took a burning candle, and her schoolbag, and slowly made her way into the darkness towards her room. She closed the door behind her and put the candle on her night table. The snow was falling thickly outside. She shivered and got closer to the fragile flame of the candle.

Then, she saw the giant stuffed bunny lying comfortably on her bed, its black eyes shining feebly from the candlelight, as if it was really looking at her.

Harumi crawled into the soft embrace of its arms and hugged the warm stomach of the toy. She stayed like that for a while, and then whispered quietly: "Syu-kun, Fuji finally came back to school today. I didn't know what to do when I suddenly saw him there in front of me. You know all the things I rehearsed with you earlier? All the faces I should put on, the words I should say, the attitude I should display? Well, everything got erased from my mind. Gomen, Syu-kun, because we worked hard together on them."

She hid her face in its soft chest. "I guess I can't just stop having feelings for him on command, huh? Do I even want to? I am not so sure anymore. I know I have told you countless times that I was determined to forget him, but after hearing what my mom said, I guess I would be a coward if I gave up that easily. But… if only I could feel I have a chance with him… because I mean, he has Sayuri, right? How come he had never mentioned her before? I wonder what kind of relationship they have… do you know, Syu-kun?"

There was silence while the only thing audible was the ticking of Harumi's alarm clock.

She got up from her bed and approached her desk. The book she was reading during English class was lying on her table. She opened it at a random page and was surprised to see a paper ball rolling out. And then she remembered Eiji giving it to her that morning.

She approached the candle and unfolded the paper. There was only one sentence written on it, with Eiji's curved handwriting: _"Cheer up! I heard that Fujiko is coming back today!"_

A small smile floated a moment on her lips. It was so ironic that everyone thought that the person who would make her happy was in fact the one causing her the most pain. She squeezed the little piece of paper in her hand and started to raise her arm to throw it in the garbage can, but paused before finishing her move.

_Eiji was thinking about me when he wrote it. He couldn't possibly know… and he is right, maybe I should cheer up and try again. I won't give up on Fuji just yet._

At that moment, the electricity came back into the house; the light was so bright that for a moment Harumi had to cover her eyes with the back of her hand in order not to be blinded by the bright light.

The bunny was sitting on her bed, smiling gently at her. Harumi blew off the candle and sat down beside it.

"Syu-kun, I have decided! Starting tomorrow, I will try to speak to Fuji again! I think we should at least be able to be friends, like before, or else it would suck big time, neh?"

* * *

Well, it was easier said than done! She was still feeling weird when she was around him, and her first reflex upon seeing him was either to walk in the opposite direction, or to hide behind something or someone before he could see her. 

The day ended without her being able to talk to him at all. Feeling down and ashamed of her own lack of courage, she was slowly walking towards the exit when she passed by her usual music classroom, where another class was being held today. She stopped in her steps when she heard someone playing a flute from inside the room. Her heart pounded hard for a moment, but she didn't recognize the melody.

She peeked inside; just as she had guessed, it wasn't Fuji. She suddenly remembered the melody she had heard from behind the hospital door, and then the girl's voice saying: "That was lovely, Syusuke."

_If she called him Syusuke, it must mean that she is someone important to him, right?_

The guy finished his tune and then sat down. The teacher and students applauded.

"Alright, the next one is… Kikumaru. What did you prepare for us today?"

_So, they are having their music exam_!

"Well, I prepared a song!" – Eiji said while standing up, his red hair curling up more than usual. With his perennial enthusiasm, he pursued: "It's an original song, guys! My older brother, who is really good at writing songs, made it up for me, and we worked on the music together, so I hope you will all like it!"

"Very good, Kikumaru. What is the name of this song?"

"It's Takaramono! Yosh, here I go!"

Eiji inserted a CD into the CD player and pressed on start. A quite pleasant melody started to fly out from the speakers. Eiji closed his eyes for a while and took a deep breath. Harumi was interested now, and leaned in against the wall to listen.

Eiji started singing. He had a pleasant voice. Even when he sang, one could discern his usual teasing and playful tone among his notes. He wasn't the best singer she had heard, but the sincerity in his voice touched her.

She found herself smiling and she listened to him sing. She should probably bring up his singing skills next time she talked to him in order to tease him a little.

Eiji looked in her direction and surprise crept on his face. Harumi smiled and signaled for him to pursue. Eiji smiled even more widely and finished his last verse:

"Just I believe… I believe now…. Donna, toki demo. Taisetsu na mono wa kitto…. chikaku ni aru yo ne! »

The music continued for a while before stopping. "Hoi, that was it! Sankyou, minna!"

The classroom erupted in applause. Harumi smiled and applauded silently from her spot near the door as well. Eiji smiled with all his teeth and formed the V sign with his fingers.

"Very well sung, Kikumaru – the teacher cut off – well, the next one to go is…"

Harumi took her leave discreetly. She didn't know why, but she was feeling happier now. It was the first time she had heard him sing, and she really liked his voice. She only had one word to describe it all: cute, as the rest of his person. Turning at the end of a hallway, she suddenly saw Fuji walking in front of her, his school bag thrown negligently over his right shoulder.

Her breath stopped. How could she approach him? After she had confessed, and everything… could they really go back to being friends? She doubted it.

And then, she scolded herself. She should stop thinking like that if she wanted things to change. She copied his steps exactly and silently walked behind him. She was hypnotized by his light brown hair and by the movement of his shoulders.

She just wanted to run to him and hug him fiercely from behind and never let him go again, but she couldn't. Just before he disappeared at the next hallway, she finally opened her mouth…

"Syusuke!"

She froze. A girl dashed by her side and rushed towards Fuji. She was wearing a big cap underneath which strands of silver hair were flying out as she ran.

"Syusuke!" She called again.

Fuji turned around, his usual smile in place.

"Yata! I finally found you!" The girl said while panting.

"What are you doing here, Sayuri?"

"Well, we are both done, so I thought we could walk home together!"

Fuji sighed. "You came all the way from Hyotei just for that?"

Suddenly, he saw Harumi standing ten meters behind Sayuri, a dumbfounded look on her face. Slowly, his smile faded. Sayuri got closer to him. "Well, that's cause I really wanted to walk with you! It's been a long time since we've walked home together! Syusuke…?"

She followed his eyes and turned around to face Harumi.

_Sayuri… Sayuri… there she is… the girl Fuji was talking to in the hospital… the girl who calls Fuji "Syusuke"… my rival._

Unconsciously, she squeezed her bag until it was painful to her palm.

Sayuri had beautiful aqua eyes filled with intelligence, which were right now under a frown.

"Syusuke, who is it?"

Fuji opened his eyes. When Harumi looked into them, she had the impression he wanted to tell her something.

"Harumi-chan…" Fuji finally said.

"Harumi-chan, huh? – Sayuri said, while a suspicious look crossed her eyes – a friend of yours?"

Harumi started walking towards them, wearing a polite smile. "Hey there, Fuji!"

The first words she spoke to him since his return.

"I will see you tomorrow at school." She finished cheerfully, her smile in place. When she passed them by, she realized how close that Sayuri girl was standing next to Fuji. She felt a pang of anger to her chest, but suppressed it.

When she turned at the corner of the hallway, she quickly ran into the nearest classroom and closed the door behind her. Back against the door, she slowly slid to the floor and rested her head in her arms.

Their conversation rolled all over again in her mind. _Sayuri… Hyotei… so, she is at Hyotei? How come I have never seen her before?_

And then despair flowed over her. _The reason why Fuji said no to me was because he likes this girl. I'm not sure I want to do this any longer. It's hopeless. Fuji has been clear enough. Maybe I should just give up on him._

Her mom's voice boomed in her head_. "There are things you shouldn't give up on without putting a fight."_

"Okasan… I know you are right, but is it supposed to be this hard?"

When she felt calmer, and trusted her legs to bear her, she slowly stood up and went out of the deserted classroom.

_Oh, holy crap!_

The first person she saw walking towards her was Sayuri, whose aqua eyes scanned her from head to toe.

"Sayuri-chan, is it? – Harumi said politely – weren't you with Fuji just then?"

"Saa, he said he needed to go to the gym before going home! Personally, I find that stupid. Why does he need to go to the gym when it is not demanded by the school?"

Harumi felt a flash of irritation.

"Well, he is in the tennis club, so he has to stay fit!"

Sayuri sighed. "Oh yeah, tennis. He is still obsessed with that, even after all this time?"

_What does she mean, all this time?_

"You should know, right? – Harumi asked, trying to make her voice casual – aren't you his girlfriend, or something?"

Sayuri eyed her with curiosity. "Yare, that's a bold question! I'd say that we are childhood lovers. I'm confident when I say that I was his first true love!"

Her words had an effect of lightning on her.

"So, you aren't anymore?" she tried to hide the hope in her voice, but Sayuri seemed to detect it anyway. A flash passed through her eyes.

"Well, we were separated for quite some years – she answered slowly – then, at the beginning of the month, I moved here from Chiba and signed up to Hyotei. I was surprised to find Syusuke so close! After all those years… he finally came back to me!"

Harumi's knees were trembling. "I see."

"He really loved me back then, so I'm sure that after all this time, he still has strong feelings for me."

Sayuri smiled sweetly. "He is such a romantic guy!"

Harumi's smile was beginning to crack. "And… do you love him back, Sayuri-chan?"

"I have never loved someone as much as I love Syusuke. We went through difficult times, and both of us were hurt because of that. I couldn't state my feelings properly to him before he left, but now, I will have that opportunity again, and I will do my best for him, because I know he is worth it."

Harumi didn't say anything. A huge silence had fallen upon her heart.

"Yare, Sayuri exclaimed, I said too much! And plus, I don't know you all that well! Sorry for boring you with all my problems! I think I should go home before it gets too dark, and you should do it as well, Harumi-chan. Ja ne!"

Having said that, Sayuri walked away. Harumi started to move her legs as well, as if in a daze. All along, Fuji had been like water running through her fingers, always impossible to keep. And now, all the water had slipped through. There was nothing left that she could hold on to.

* * *

Well, I'm stopping here cause it's already like 18 pages and more than 5000 words, which is my record up until now. Next week I have countless exams so I don't know when the next chappy is gonna be ready. I will try my best for next Sunday, but nothing is guaranteed. 

Ok, now to my replies. Sorry in advance if some of them may seem short, but I'm in the middle of studying and I'm losing my mind, gah! Anyways, you guys all know you have my eternal gratitude for all your reviews, and that I can't say thank you enough:p

oh yeah, one more thing... for Eiji's song "Takaramono", if you havent heard it before, then here is a link to a bunch of Eiji's songs. personally, i love them all! if only i could understand what they mean!! anyways, for the song, go to imeem dot com. at the top search engine, select music, and type in Takaramono Eiji. You are gonna get a list. The song is the ninth one on the first page. You can listen to it if you are interested, but i highly recommend it! if you want the playlist, at the search engine select playlist and type in Kikumaru Eiji, and select the first one by Kiku-chan! and once again, enjoy! ps: it's easier to go to the playlist!

**Kp-sama:** thanks for your review! Sayuri was first introduced when Fuji had a fever, and was dreaming about his not so pleasant past. I forgot which chapter it was, but it was after Fuji had rescued Harumi and they both went back to the castle! Well, basically, from what we know right now, Sayuri is like Fuji's ex who betrayed him. And well, I can't tell you now why Fuji said "no" to her, so please keep reading and commenting! Lol. :p

**Morggie85**: Yeah, ok, I know there are like a lot of unanswered questions right now, but last chapter was officially the climax of the story, so now I'm working on resolving everything. Some answers lie in this chapter, but I think most of them will be in the next one, especially concerning Sayuri. And Eiji, yeah, he will support her.

**Munny:** lol, well, since Eiji has a chance with her now, you may be blessed with some cool stuff in the future.

**Singer in the wind**: haha, ok, so you vote for a FujixOC. To tell you the truth, I don't know what I want to do. I love Fuji and Eiji equally, so I'm making Harumi have a hard time between those two, lol.

**Hajimari:** lol, well it seems weird but I also loved writing the rejection part. I have a sadistic penchant for sad stuff, lol. Yes, more info on Sayuri will be revealed.

**angelOfdestiny:** lol, omg, so now this story officially bears the title of your fave story? I'm touched! Thanks so much! Yes, I feel bad for Eiji. I will try and find a way of making him happy. I haven't had any space to write about Mai lately, but I will see what I can do about her in the future:p

**Anime300:** Yeah, Harumi really loves Fuji, but is that going to be a good thing or bad thing, finally? Anyways, when she chooses, the love pentagon is going to break for sure.

**Yuitzura:** haha, I wanna be in the story too! Since I am the author, I can sometimes relate to Harumi, especially during the good moments, haha. Omg, I so love PoT.

**Moonlight19**: hey girl! You know I love long reviews, so you did it again! Arigato gosaimasu! Well, you are right about one thing! Everything is indeed very messed up. I have had a sadistic pleasure entwining the strings of the story, but now I'm pulling off my hair to get everything back together. Major revelations in next chapters, that's all I can say. I, and I think you guys too, needed a break from top drama, so this chapter is a breather. In the next one, I plan to answer some of the questions still left unanswered from Sayuri's appearance, and I will also complicate others, because that's what I do best, right? Haha. Well, I'm in college now and studying health science. It's one hell of a program. I don't even know why I'm here. Anyways, the labs are bad, but I think that I understand now what I did wrong before. Besides, next week is like the chem midterm so I need to study… yadaaaa!! Thanks again for the review!!!! (hugs moonlight).

**Wingless-Crying-Angel:** lol, it was a sort of cliffie, so it's the classical bad ending. And I meant end of the chapter, of course. I wouldn't stop the story there after all my efforts to build up the action up until to this point, lol. Thanks for the comment!

**Noir:** well, it was a depressing chapter, so of course if you had a bad day and just read that, I can imagine! Gomen! Lol. I know this story sounded like a comedy from the mood of the first chappies, but it isn't, so I guess we need sad stuff in a tragedy, right:p

**Eiji.K.lover123**: Yeah, how could he have said "no"? that's gonna be clarified later, at least, I hope, haha. And yeah, Harumi truly loves Fuji, like not fangirly at all, but maybe true love? But, I must say, Harumi is much more courageous than I am, lol. If Fuji said no to me I would depress like for all eternity. And I don't mind long reviews, so thank you for this one!!! ;p

**Unchangingxp**: thanks for the review! Yay, another drama-lover, haha! Fuji and Harumi, if they really got together, would be kinda cute, but Eiji and Harumi would make a good couple too. Ok, I, as the author, am pretty much as undecided on that matter as most of my readers. It's frustrating sometimes, lol. Eiji will probably realize that Mai likes him if Mai actually tells him. But since she is shy, I don't know how that is gonna work out.

**Rita**: hey girl!! Did you sneak downstairs for this chapter as well, lol? Well, Sayuri, if you remember, is the girl that appeared in Fuji's dream/nightmare when he had a fever. And then he whispered her name and Harumi heard him. That was right before he told her to call him Syusuke. I know it's from a long time ago, but that was an important element. And omg, thank you so much for the review!! Hope you liked this chappy as well!

**White Alchemist Taya:** the last chapter was like a climax. Everything will start resolving in the next chapters!! Enjoy!

**Livelyrose:** oh! You were #1fujilover? Ok, I get it now, lol. Thanks for the review, girl!!

**Luvracci**: omg, thanks for the review, lol. It really makes me happy to hear that you like it so much. I normally update once a week, because of school and all that. More than once a week is impossible for me… but if I get late, some people are gonna burn me alive… so I try to keep my pace as best as I can, hehe. Thanks for saying I'm a good writer…lol… I think I sucked when I started this story… hopefully I made some progress since then!! hope you liked this one!!


	20. Ballroom party

**Ballroom party**

Feeling desperate, her heart filled with grief, Harumi walked towards the exit. She wanted to get away from everything and everyone. She hated herself for not being able to stop thinking about Fuji, and for having let her heart fall for him in the first place.

She remembered all of Naoki's warnings and found herself pretty foolish for having believed that it would be any different for her. Fuji had hurt other people like this before, and he had hurt her. She should just give up on him once and for all. He probably wasn't even worth it.

But even as she thought like that, a part of her still longed for him, like a person on the verge of drowning would long for breath. She wanted to hate him, but couldn't find that hatred in her heart.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, made dirty and slippery by the many people who had used them during the day, she bumped into someone. As she wearily lifted her eyes, she felt irritation rush inside of her.

Inui was standing in front of her, his usual mysterious expression stuck onto his face. He was the last person she wanted to see at that moment.

"Yamazaki, there is practice in the gym today for both of our teams."

Harumi passed beside him. "I'm not going. I have too much work."

"According to my data, your Buchou is going to be mad at you."

She didn't hear his voice as a flash passed through her mind. Sayuri's voice once more resonated at her ears. _"He said he needed to go to the gym before going home."_

_Fuji will be there too…_

For a second, she hesitated as a compelling feeling urged her to go. She turned towards Inui.

"Tell her then that I'm sorry, but she will have to do without me. I really can't today."

Inui just stood there, looking at her behind his smoked glasses. She hoped she could see what the eyes that scrutinized her at that moment looked like. For a moment, they faced each other without speaking. Inui seemed to be expecting something from her.

She turned her back to him and started to walk away.

Then, she stopped. Without looking at him, she asked quietly: "Inui, do you remember that day before the Winter Carnival when you were spying on Fuji and me on the street?"

She didn't need to see his expression to know that he was surprised that she still remembered that.

Since he wasn't saying anything, she pursued: "You were collecting data on us again, weren't you?"

She finally faced him again as her purple eyes clinched on to his behind his glasses. Inui crossed his arms. "I don't remember."

"Liar."

Inui looked troubled. He didn't know where she was getting at. Harumi smiled slightly.

"Then, you must remember that time on the bus when you told me about an expression Fuji was wearing when he had held me at the cafeteria?"

Harumi walked towards Inui until they were only a meter apart. "You said you weren't sure what that expression was at the time, and that you needed to see it one more time. Well, he held me again close to him that day on the sidewalk when I was crossing the street without looking. You witnessed the whole scene, so now you must know what that expression is, right?"

Inui scratched the spot behind his ear. For once, he looked like he didn't know what to do. Normally, he was the one to set up the pace for interrogation and data gathering, but this time he felt pushed to the corner. He sighed and then plunged his hand into his jacket. He rummaged inside for awhile before taking out a little blue notebook.

He flipped it open and turned the pages slowly, searching for a specific information. He read the last page carefully, and then closed the notebook noisily with a frown.

"Ah, yes, I remember it now. But, I can't reveal my data to just anyone. It is not written "confidential information" on the cover for nothing."

Harumi felt like threatening him, beating him to death, or perhaps just giving up on him and going home, but she needed to know. She may not have another chance like this.

"Please, Inui. Can't you just do that one thing for me? You said you would tell me if you were 100 percent sure. Now you are, aren't you?"

Inui arched an eyebrow, and sighed as he opened his notebook again. Almost reluctantly, he said: "It's very interesting. Expression number 35 is something I have never seen on Fuji's face before."

"What is it?"

And then, Inui told her.

* * *

"Oishi! Why do you want to go there, all of a sudden?" 

"Well, today's practice made me think of last summer's matches, of all the times we have spent there. Besides, we haven't been there in a while, have we? I thought we could just pay it a visit, you know?"

"Nya, Oishi, you really like that container, don't you?"

Oishi laughed. "Maa, something like that."

The two tennis players were slowly walking on the snowy path that led out of town, and to their favorite hiding place.

"Hmmm, this weather really sucks." Eiji complained.

"You are right! I have never seen so much snow in one winter before."

"It makes me feel… sad, nya. It almost seems as if someone is crying up there." Eiji said while arching his head to contemplate the snowy skies.

Oishi frowned. "Eiji, it's not like you to be so dramatic."

"That's because everyone is acting so weird lately! Like…"

"Ah, shimata!" Oishi exclaimed while suddenly rummaging through his bag, cutting off his friend.

"Nani, Oishi?"

"I forgot my philosophy book! And I have a test tomorrow! Shimata!!"

Oishi looked like he was ready to pull off his two strands of hair. "Yosh! I need to go back and get it! Wait for me!"

After saying that, he ran in the direction of the school.

"Hey, just wait a second, Oishi…" Eiji's voice trailed off as he watched his friend run off. He sighed. "Well, I guess I will wait for him at our container, nya."

Eiji slowly resumed his pace, feeling his boots sink deep into the snow at every step. He looked at the grey sky again, and blinked as snowflakes landed on his eyelashes, like cold little feathers.

Soon after, the container came into view, green speck among the white scenery.

There was already someone sitting on it. Eiji stopped. With his good eyesight, he easily recognized the person as Harumi. There was a thick layer of snow on the container, but she had somehow managed to climb up. A cold breeze was making her hair fly up behind her shoulders.

But what struck him the most was the lonely look on her face and in her eyes. As she stared into the distance, as if focusing on an imaginary point, she held her knees against her chest, like a lost child. She seemed as cold and as fragile as the falling snow.

Eiji approached the container without her noticing him. Seeing her like that, he felt something nasty tugging at his heart. She had seemed so sad these last couple of days… and he just wanted to see her smile again, like she so often did when they had just met each other.

Harumi startled when she heard some scraping noises disturbing her bubble of silence. She lowered her eyes to see Eiji climbing on the container and sitting by her side, after pushing off the snow that was piled up on top of it.

"E… Eiji! W… what are you doing here?" She staggered, annoyed at being caught off guard by the redhead's sudden arrival.

And then, she remembered that he was the one who had introduced her to this container in the first place. He had every right to be there whereas she had none.

"Gomen! – she said – I know I came here without asking for your permission…"

"What are you talking about? – Eiji interrupted with one eye closed – you know you can come here anytime, Harumi!"

Harumi relaxed upon seeing that he wasn't mad at her, and went back to staring at some distant point in front of her. Eiji noticed the thick layer of snow on her clothes and on her hair, and wondered with worry how long she had been up there. He had noticed that she had skipped practice, and only now he knew that she had been on this container this whole time.

"Harumi – he said, regaining his seriousness – what are you doing here in the cold? You could catch something nasty, you know?"

Harumi's purple eyes riveted on his, and the depth of them made his gasp a little.

"To tell you the truth, she started dreamily, I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing here. I don't know why I came here. Or maybe I do. I came because this is the only place I know of that is far away from everyone; a place where no one would find me."

She turned towards him and smiled. "But of course, you know this place as well."

There was a silence when the two of them just stared at the empty and white scenery unfolded before their eyes. The city looked as if it was being gradually covered by a mantle of ice, as if all life had abandoned it. Eiji snatched his eyes from that depressing sight and asked urgently:

"What's wrong, Harumi? You haven't been very cheerful lately. Is… something the matter?"

The young girl didn't answer, but only held her knees tighter. She wished everyone would just stop asking her that question and leave her alone.

"Does it concern Fujiko?" Eiji asked again, softly.

Harumi's eyes widened. He was getting too close to the truth for comfort. She looked at him, at his dark blue eyes so innocent and so sincere. He probably wouldn't understand. She hadn't told anyone, not even her parents, not even Amaya, her best friend.

"How… how did you know?" She asked feebly.

Eiji's eyes widened a little. "So, this is it, after all. Fujiko and you aren't acting as usual. You both seem… so troubled."

"Is that so?" She looked away. "I don't think Fuji is troubled. He should be… happy. Good things are happening to him, aren't they?"

Eiji frowned. "Good things… nya? I don't know about that, but he seemed pretty distracted during today's practice. He even missed a ball, which hasn't happened since I know him."

There was a silence. Eiji was starting to feel very cold. He didn't know how Harumi had managed to stay for hours on that container, alone, in this freezing weather. And she wasn't even wearing a scarf.

"If you guys had a fight, you should talk to each other and try to be friends again! I don't know why you started fighting in the first place, but… if it makes you unhappy, you should find a solution to make everything alright again. Because… I don't like it when you are unhappy, Harumi."

Harumi looked at him, her eyes regaining a little bit of life. "E… Eiji."

And then, they became dull again. "Thanks for your concern, but everything is going to be alright with time, so you don't need to worry about it!"

"No, it's not going to be alright! How can you say that when it's written all over your face that you don't feel well?"

_Written all over my face? Is it that obvious? No, it can't be true! I worked so hard to hide every feeling, every thought! How can Eiji tell just by looking at me?_

"Just… leave me alone, Eiji."

"Yada! You have been alone long enough, Harumi! Don't you trust me? After all we have done together, don't you even consider me as a friend who can listen to your problems?"

Harumi gritted her teeth. Then, she remembered how she had run away from Amaya. She knew she was acting the same way that Fuji always did.

Did it mean that something had happened to him that had made him this way? She had never thought about that. Could it be that all this time he had been hurting the way she was right now? Just thinking about him made a whole whirlpool of emotions rise in her chest.

She hid her face in her hands and held her knees even tighter.

"I have nothing to talk about. Leave me alone." She whispered.

She felt Eiji's hand on her shoulder but pushed it away.

"Leave me alone!!!" She screamed.

"Harumi…"

"Just go!!!"

After a pause, she heard him shifting at her side. Was he really leaving? Her anger broke down as she felt guilt pouring down her chest.

_What have I done? What did I say?_

She hated herself for hurting the ones she cared about, but she couldn't control her emotions anymore.

She was driving all her friends away from her, and she knew it. However, she couldn't help but to run away farther, always farther, into her own pain. She couldn't confront the reality of the rejection. She wasn't courageous like her mom, and she couldn't even pretend to be happy, like Fuji. She was a foolish girl who was driving away everyone she cared about because she was weak.

She felt like crying, but no tears would come out. Everything was frozen inside of her, not only because she had stayed outside for hours, but because since a long time ago, her heart had been frozen as well.

And then, she felt warmth around her neck. It was so overwhelming at first that she couldn't think of anything else except for the fact that it provided her with indescribable well being. Slowly, she looked up from her arms to see Eiji crouching in front of her and muffling her up with his scarf.

He was biting his lower lip as he did so, a frown upon his face. "Alright, he said sulkily, I will leave you alone, but don't catch a cold!"

_After all I said… he still cares about me. Why?_

Eiji stood up.

_Am I just going to let him go like this? Am I just going to be mean to everyone and end up more alone than I already am? I don't want this. I've never wanted it!_

"Matte, Eiji." She begged quietly, even though it sounded incredibly loud in the silence of the falling snow.

Eiji was somewhat surprised to hear the anxiety in her voice. When he looked at her, he was taken aback by the fragility he discerned in her purple eyes. Harumi lowered her gaze:

"I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it. You must think that I am an awful person now, which I probably am. I don't know what has gotten into me. I don't know what I should do anymore… it's just… so hard…"

Her voice gave up on her as a knot grew in her throat.

And suddenly, Eiji was holding her tight against him. At first, confused and scared, she tried to fight him, but he was too strong for her. Just like she had noticed so many times before, the air around Eiji always seemed to be buzzing with life and happiness. To be this close to him was burning her.

"What are you doing, Eiji? Let me go! Let me go!"

She tried to push him away by hitting his chest with her fists, but he kept his hold on her.

The burning sensation increased. She had been so long in the cold that she had almost forgotten what to be warm felt like.

Before she knew it, her emotions were leaking out of her like water from a broken barrier. She felt all the pain and the sorrow she had tried to suppress rising up her chest as everything seemed to be melting inside of her.

"Let me go, Eiji! Let me go… let me go… E… Eiji…" She staggered as big tears rolled down her cheeks.

She stopped punching him and clung to him instead with all her strength, crying like a lost child. She cried until her she couldn't breathe anymore. She cried until her stomach was hurting, until the little bit of the outside world she could see from behind Eiji's chest was blurry and undistinguishable.

Eiji slowly passed a hand through her hair as he shook off the snow caught in them. She vaguely heard him whisper something to her, but she couldn't understand it above her own sobs.

Even though she wanted to stop, she couldn't. It seemed that all the tears she had held back since that time at the hospital was pouring out of her body.

She cried until she was too tired to cry.

When her sobs calmed down a little, Eiji shifted a little on his sitting position. Harumi clung to him even tighter; she didn't want him to go away. She had never felt so lost and vulnerable in her whole life, and Eiji was her only anchor to safety.

The redhead seemed to understand that as he locked his arms around her protectively. Harumi pressed her cheek against his chest as silent tears continued to squeeze out from her eyes.

After another moment of silence, she suddenly pulled away from him as she rubbed her eyes with her gloves.

"Go… gomen, Eiji. I didn't want you to see that. I didn't want to break down in front of you. I'm sorry."

"It feels good to let it out, nya?" Eiji asked.

Although she couldn't see his face, she knew he was smiling as he said that. Slowly, she nodded. It was true that the pressure in her chest was gone.

After a moment of silence, she whispered, more to herself than to Eiji.

"What does it mean when someone says "I can't give you what you are looking for?"

"I… I don't know. To me, it sounds like that person thinks he is not good enough for you."

"It doesn't make any sense." Harumi complained while wiping off more tears with the back of her glove.

"What exactly happened, Harumi?"

The young girl hesitated for a moment, and then she told him everything. She told him about her confession and the way Fuji had responded to it. Eiji listened in silence, diverse emotions crossing his chest: confusion, pain, anger.

"How could Fujiko do this to you?" He blurted out, unable to contain himself any longer.

Harumi looked at him for the first time; his dark blue eyes were shining with frustration and disbelief.

"I never thought he would go as low as making a girl cry! And how could he have done that to you after all the courage it must have taken you to confess? I won't forgive him!"

Harumi sensed panic invading her heart. "No, Eiji! Please, don't say that. I don't want you two to stop being friends because of me! Don't add more burdens to my list of burdens!"

"I refuse to be friends with someone who would do something as low as to hurt someone! Besides, I can't believe he has a girlfriend and hasn't told us! A true friend would have talked to me about these things!"

Harumi looked away. "He probably has his reasons."

"Why are you still defending him, nya?"

"I think there is more to it than meets the eye!"

"I think the only thing going on here is that Fujiko is a coward. He refused your confession because he likes someone else, but he never bothered to tell you! It's obvious! Why are you still trying to avoid the truth?"

Harumi sighed. "You… are probably right. But I just can't believe that…"

Harumi stared dreamily at the grey skies. "I just can't believe that Fuji is that kind of person. Something must have happened that nor you nor I is aware of. It is hard to open up to someone about the problems that are hurting you deep inside, you know?"

Eiji looked away.

Harumi pursued: "Ever since I met him, I felt that there must be a part of him that no one could see because he didn't want anyone to see it. He always seems so strong, and happy, and carefree, but maybe he is none of that. It's only been three months since we became friends, but every time we were together, I always felt like that he liked me, if not a lot, then maybe just a little bit. At least, I think he doesn't hate me. He always protected me… like that time on the mountains… and against Kenji. He always did it on his own. We've spent good times together, and during those times, when he smiled, I felt like it was a true smile, not a smile destined to hide away suffering or pain. And with every true smile, I felt like I was getting closer to his true self."

Eiji didn't know what to respond to that.

Harumi caught a snowflake in her hand and watched dreamily as it melted.

"He must be so lonely. I know I would be lonely if I had to fake to be happy when I am not. When I see him smile from his heart when we are together, I have the impression that I can ease a little bit of that loneliness. And that time at the hospital, for the first time since we knew each other, he told me that he was scared. And I thought I had finally found him. I thought that after all my efforts, he had finally opened up to me. And that's why I confessed to him. But I guess I had it all wrong. I guess I am arrogant to think that I can be the one to make him happy. Maybe Sayuri is the one for him. It's selfish to impose my feelings on him when his own are for someone else."

She bit her lower lip. "It would have been easier that way. Yes, it would probably be easier if I am sure he doesn't like me at all. But then there is this thing that Inui said."

Eiji arched an eyebrow. "Inui? What does he have to do with this, nya?"

"Inui once saw Fuji holding me. The expression he had at that moment was, according to Inui, tenderness and fear."

Harumi smiled wearily. "Since it is Inui, I guess the statement has some truth in it. But… it doesn't make any sense. How can that combination exist? If he feels tenderness towards me… it means that he has some tiny feelings for me, right? I don't know if I should get my hopes up. I'm too scared of falling down from such a high place again."

"You said fear? What is Fujiko afraid of?"

Harumi sighed. "I don't know. It doesn't make any sense. That's why I don't know where I should go from here. It feels like a desperate cause."

She finally turned to Eiji, her eyes still red from her tears.

"So, promise me something, Eiji."

"Nani?" The redhead asked quietly.

"Don't get angry at Fuji. I'm telling you everything because I trust you on keeping it a secret. Please don't say anything to him. I will do it myself when I get a hold of my feelings."

Eiji looked away.

"Promise me, Eiji."

The redhead sighed. "Alright, I promise."

* * *

"Harumi! Harumi!" 

The young girl turned around and saw Chiharu running towards her from the other side of the school hall. She was running past by astounded students, her red hair flying freely behind her back, and unaware of the looks of total bliss on some guys' faces.

"What is it, Chiharu?" She asked when the redhead arrived at her level, still panting slightly from her quick pace.

"Guess what, Harumi? Atobe invited us all to spend the weekend at his mansion. Isn't he such a sweetie? Even though I had to nudge him a little from behind before he accepts all of this… but that's just a detail."

Harumi only stared. "Alright… so… what is the special occasion?"

"None. Just thought that we could all have some fun together. It's been a while, you know?"

"Yeah… I guess."

"So, you will be going, right? You can't be the only one to let us down! I know you have been feeling down lately for x reason, but you should try and forget about your problems from time to time. So, come to the party!"

Harumi sighed. Chiharu was being straightforward as usual, and saying what passed through her mind without thinking twice. At least now she knew that Eiji wasn't the only who had noticed something was amiss with her. Then, another thought struck her.

"Wait, but who is going to be there?"

"Everyone!"

"Everyone?"

"Everyone! The Seigaku tennis teams will be all present if you join us. So, see? You have a big role to play here! You have to maintain our cohesion!"

Harumi sighed. "Well… I don't know about that… I may have stuff to do this weekend…"

"Oh, _come on_, Harumi! Please! It will be fun, I promise! Besides, don't you want to see the inside of my Atobe's mansion? It's not a sight that anyone can get to witness! You may miss the chance of a lifetime!"

"You are talking as if this is a universal event or something."

Her purple eyes dimmed, and then she looked up again at her friend in resignation. "Alright, count me in."

Chiharu cheered and jumped on her friend to hug her tight. "I love you, girl! You are the best! So see you on Saturday! Bring your blankets and stuff. I promise that you won't regret it!"

"Ok… fine, don't strangle me before that."

Chiharu let her go. "Oh well, I've got more people to convince, so I will see you later! Ja ne!"

She winked and then walked away. Harumi leaned against the wall and lied a hand over her forehead. "What did I embark myself on again?"

_She said everyone is going to be there… meaning: Fuji will be there. I don't want to see him or to go to the same party as him. I just want to forget him, forget that I ever loved him. So why did I consent to go? Why is it that a part of myself is just… not letting go of him? And what if he invites Sayuri to the party? That would be so humiliating. Maybe I should just tell Chiharu that I am not going, after all… _

* * *

Saturday morning found Harumi in front of Atobe's mansion. From the entrance it looked as big as Amaya's castle, but it was a lot less dark and was composed of many more sections. Harumi didn't get how some people could be so rich as to afford to live in a place that would easily house an entire town. 

She hesitated for a moment, her backpack hanging from her shoulder, which was of a moderate size compared to the one she used for her ski stay. She still didn't know if this was such a bright idea.

Her finger pressed on the bell-button.

After a moment of wait, hidden cameras turned her way and scanned her entire body. Then, the gates slowly glided inwards, allowing her passage. Harumi was impressed. Atobe's mansion was indeed pretty sophisticated.

The snow had stopped falling the night before, but everything was still coated under a white layer of ice. However, the path she was following through the front garden had been swept clean of all snow. Her boots resonated numbly on the stone as she made her way to the front doors.

Two servants on each side of it smiled at her and opened them wide.

"Over here, please!" A maid coming from inside the mansion told her with a smile before walking off. Harumi followed her along the entrance hall, her mouth wide by all the gold and silver disposed on high pedestals. The living room she came to had been temporarily turned into a ballroom with comfortable chairs and little white tables scattered all over the periphery of it. There was even a stage at the end of the room, on which an orchestra was already playing some nice slow music.

"Harumi! You are here!"

Chiharu ran towards her friend, splendidly dressed in a long silver dress that undulated like water at her every move. Her hair was pinned up, except for two long locks of hair that cascaded down to shoulder level and framed her face in a lovely way. An expensive-looking emerald necklace made her green eyes stand out more than usual.

"Harumi! – Chiharu called out cheerfully – I knew you would come, but…what exactly are you wearing?"

Harumi scanned herself quickly. "Ano… jeans, and… a coat?"

Chiharu sighed. "Well, it's nice on you, but you cannot wear that at Atobe's party!"

Harumi frowned and stared at her friend in exasperation. "Well, it looks like _someone_ omitted to tell me that!"

Chiharu didn't seem to have heard the reproach. "Hm, you don't have me as friend for nothing! – she winked and took her hand – c'mon, I ordered some new dresses this morning! The other girls are already trying them out! You can choose yours!"

Harumi blinked in confusion as she was being led by a very excited Chiharu. They passed below one of the bronze arches that gave passage to several hallways running in different directions from the ballroom, and finally arrived at the dressing room.

Harumi had the impression that her friend was already married to Atobe… or something. She was sure the money she had used to buy these dresses wasn't hers.

Chiharu finally pushed her into a room guarded by golden doors. She found herself in front of the hugest mirror she had ever seen in her whole life. It covered three walls and part of the ceiling. The floor was hidden underneath a soft and mellow carpet.

To the opposite side of the mirror stood the biggest closest she had ever encountered, with quite a collection of beautiful soiree dresses hung inside of it. Amaya, Naoki, Naoko, Aika and Mai were walking through them, touching them, trying them on.

Everyone looked awed by that collection, and even Mai Buchou's face was more relaxed than usual.

"Harumi, we were waiting for you!" Amaya exclaimed upon seeing her friend. She was wearing a light pink dress that was partially parted to the side. She looked like a real princess.

"You are still in jeans? No way! Come here and I will fix that in less than a minute!" Naoko said with her thumb up.

Naoko was wearing a blue dress that made her eyes stand out. Naoki had preferred to wear a red one, which outlined the curves of her body. Naoko and Naoki were thus faithful to their usual colors, since the first girl always wore a blue headband, and the second a red one.

Aika barely looked in Harumi's direction. Harumi couldn't picture Aika wearing a dress, or anything that related to femininity. Aika acted more like a boy than a girl most of time. Loyal to her usual mood, she had chosen a black dress for herself. Harumi was however surprised to see that it made her more beautiful instead of out of place.

Finally, Mai was astonishingly pretty. Her light brown hair cascaded down to her back; and the dark blue dress she was wearing was sprinkled over with little diamonds, which evoked a starry evening sky.

Harumi leaned against the mirror-wall and let out a sigh. "No one told me this was going to be like a ballroom dance."

"What did you expect? You ARE at the one of the richest person's mansion, after all." Aika murmured distractedly as she examined herself in the mirror.

Chiharu's eyes shone. "Yes, isn't this absolutely lovely? And he was nice enough to invite us all! He's such an adorable guy!"

Harumi's eyes narrowed as she whispered in her ear: "Didn't you tell me you had to "nudge him from behind" before he accepted to do this?"

"And I also told you that that is just a detail! Besides, he couldn't have possibly rejected one of my pleas! I am his girlfriend, after all! And I must say, there was never a girlfriend who is more lucky and satisfied than I am!"

Harumi felt a knot forming in her stomach.

"You shouldn't just be his girlfriend because he is rich, Chiharu. Do you even love him?"

Chiharu looked shocked at her words, and even more so when she noticed Harumi wasn't kidding.

"My, what are you saying there? You've got it all wrong… I…"

"Hey, what are you two whispering about? Don't just talk secretly over there! If you are discussing about boys, we wanna hear about it too!" Amaya exclaimed from the other side of the room, while running a comb through her dark hair.

Chiharu put her hands on her hips and said: "Well, Harumi just accused me of not loving my Atobe, which is ridiculous, of course. There was never a guy that I loved more in my whole life than Atobe Keigo. He is the king of my heart, and will always be!"

Harumi somehow didn't think she meant it. Maybe she thought she loved him, but love wasn't… that. She didn't know what it was exactly, but it just wasn't that.

_She says he is the king because she wants to be the queen. But it's not her fault. She has probably never truly loved someone for who they are. She is pretty; she can afford to do anything. _

"Well said, Chiharu." Naoki winked at her.

Chiharu passed an arm over Harumi's shoulders. "Yes, but Harumi here doesn't look too convinced. Come on, what are you being so tense about these days? Alright, let's do this, you tell me what you think true love means!"

"I have a better idea – Naoki proposed before Harumi could respond – yeah. Girls, why don't we play truth or dare?"

Harumi frowned. Now that sounded like a totally bad idea.

"Ano…" she started.

"Wonderful idea!" Amaya smiled.

"It's been years that I haven't played that! Let's do it!" Naoki added enthusiastically.

Of course, Naoki was thinking about gathering more emotional data on her friends. In that regard, she behaved unbelievably like Inui. Harumi closed her mouth. It was always useless to fight against these girls.

Only Mai seemed like she enjoyed this game as much as she did, that is to say not at all.

"Perfect! – Chiharu chirped – so, while we help Harumi find her dress, let's start with Naoki. Naoki, pick a person."

"Wait, why Naoki?" Naoko asked.

"Because she proposed the game!"

"Not a reason! Seriously!"

"Are you playing, Buchou?" Harumi asked.

Mai put on her blank face and shook her head.

"What? – Amaya immediately exclaimed – come on, Buchou! Just once! Don't act so antisocial when we all know you are not! Please!"

Mai stared at Amaya's begging eyes, and sighed. "Ok, fine, but just once."

"Great! – Naoki clasped her hands together – so, let's start with… Aika! Truth or dare?"

Aika bit her lower lip. "Dare."

"Okay! In that case… I dare you to go out of this room right now, and in that dress of yours, and find the cutest guest out there, and tell him that he's cute."

Aika groaned. "What? I'd rather beat up that guest instead! It would be easier!"

"And that's why I didn't tell you to do so! Come on, Aika, be a girl, for once!"

"Hai, hai."

She walked out of the room, making huge angry steps, not at all looking like a cute little girl. The rest of the gang spied her from the door. They saw her approaching a guy with silver hair sitting beside another guy with red hair. They were both sipping from a glass of juice.

"Oh my God, which one is she gonna choose?" Amaya whispered.

Harumi looked at them. "Who are they?"

"Players from Hyotei… the guy with the silver hair is Ootori, and the one next to him is Mukahi."

"I have never seen Aika being interested in anyone else beside Momo." Naoko groaned.

Chiharu leaned on her shoulder. "This shall be interesting, then."

Aika stopped for a moment, her black dress trailing a little behind her. The guys looked in her direction and were obviously awed by her new appearance. Aika pointed a finger towards the silver hair dude's chest and said in a voice that even reached the girls:

"You, what's your name?"

The guy slowly put his glass on the crystal table before him, before eyeing her with a kind of surprise mingled with embarrassment. He then said something to her.

"Okay – Aika retorted – Choutarou-kun, I think that you are cute. Well, actually not that cute. I mean, some people I know are way cuter than you are. But I must say that you are the cutest one in the room so far. Well, at least cuter than your friend there with tomato hair."

All the girls fell on their heads. Aika was being her straightforward and unforgiving self. The guy she just insulted spit out his drink and stood up violently. Ootori actually blushed.

"What did you just say, you insolent girl?" The redhead sprouted.

Ootori raised an arm to make his friend back off. "Slow, there. Maybe she's drunk."

"Nope, I'm not." Aika retorted before leaving the two dumbfounded Hyotei players.

She soon rejoined her friends. "Well, satisfied?"

"Very – Naoki grinned with all her teeth - I was entertained."

Aika frowned. Harumi didn't know how she could manage to keep a constant frown on her face like that.

"Now, it's my turn." Aika said with a wild grin that no one liked.

Her victim was poor Naoko, who chose "truth", because she was too shy to ever "dare" to do anything.

"Great! So tell us something: what is your wildest fantasy about Tezuka?"

Naoko blushed. "Ano… do I need to answer that?"

Aika just looked at her.

"Fine. Well, I mean… I have had many fantasies about him, but the wildest one must be that he saves me from drowning. And then he would perform artificial respiration on me. Oh yeah… that would be… good…"

"Sister, stop drooling."

"It's such a romantic thought!" Chiharu sighed.

Naoko blushed even more. "Yeah… so… can we just move on, please? Naoki… truth or dare?"

"Hm, truth."

Naoko grinned. "Just what I was expecting. Where did you hide the picture of Tezuka that I've stolen from Fuji?"

Naoki backed off. "Ugh, you still remember that? It happened two years ago!"

"You never told me where you hid it no matter how many times I asked! I want it back! I'm serious."

"Okay, okay… it's just… underneath the jar where mom puts the flour…"

"What? What kind of hiding place is that? Squeezing my Tezuka under a flour jar! For two years! You are too cruel!"

"No wonder he always has a constipated face on… that picture must be linked to him somehow…" Aika whispered to Chiharu, making her giggle.

Naoki smiled. "Now, my victim shall be… Harumi! Truth or dare?"

Two purple eyes shot in her direction. "Ano… dare."

"Harumi, I dare you to tell us what happened between you and Fuji."

Harumi backed off. "What? That is like a "truth" question. "Dare" means that I have to do something. You are cheating there, Naoki."

Naoki shrugged. "Hey, to tell people something is an action! So there is nothing wrong in daring you to say something."

Harumi laughed nervously. "You are kidding, right? Besides, nothing happened."

Naoki approached her. "Remember that you have to tell us the truth! Every single part of it!"

Harumi looked out to her friends for help, but they were all looking at her pretty seriously. As a last resource, she turned towards Amaya, but her friend just nodded at her gently, seeming to say that they were her friends, and that she could open up to them.

_Oh, what the hell. I already told Eiji, so why not tell my friends? It's embarrassing, but they deserve to know. After all, we kind of tell everything to each other, right? _

She took in a deep inspiration. "Well, I confessed to Fuji and he said "no". That's basically what happened."

There was a moment of shocked silence. Then, she felt Amaya's reassuring arms around her shoulders.

"Oh, Harumi! You should have told us earlier! Why did you keep it to yourself all this time?"

"Don't you trust us?" Chiharu asked with one eyebrow arched. "We could have organized this party earlier to cheer you up."

Harumi sighed. "You don't understand. I don't want to cheer up. I don't want to feel better, because when I do, it means that I will be over him, and… I'm not sure that I want that."

"But why did he say "no"?" Naoko asked uncertainly.

Harumi looked away. "Because he likes some other girl…"

"Nani?" They all yelled.

"Are you sure about that?" Amaya asked. "Since the day I met him, I have never seen him with a girlfriend."

"She just moved to Tokyo. She was his girlfriend when they were little. She said she came from some other city… I don't know… Chiba or something."

"Yeah, true! – Naoki pondered – Fuji used to live in Chiba before. Well, that explains a lot of things. Maybe even after he came here, he was still in love with her, so he never considered having other girlfriends."

"Sister!" Naoko exclaimed in hushed tone, after eyeing Harumi with worry. Naoki realized her mistake and closed her mouth. Harumi scolded the blonde twin and felt frustrated that all that Naoki had warned her about had come to pass.

Harumi looked at the floor, and then smiled. "Oh well, I knew this was a possibility. I never expected anything from him, so you don't need to look all that worried. Now that I have answered the question, I will pass to someone else!"

Amaya squeezed her arm gently before letting her go.

Harumi kept her smile in place. "So… Buchou… truth or dare?"

Mai stared at her sternly. "I don't want to do this."

At the same time, someone knocked at their door.

"We are busy here. Who is it?" Chiharu sighed.

A maid passed his head over the edge of the golden door and looked at Chiharu.

"Sorry to interrupt, young mistress, but the last guests from Seigaku have arrived. Shall I inform them that you will receive them soon?"

Chiharu pondered that for a while. "Well, we still need to choose a dress for our friend, but… I trust Amaya on that one. Lead the guys to the buffet, then. Atobe wishes to see their Buchou, so I'm sure he will personally go and greet them."

The maid nodded and then let go of the door.

"Looks like I can't play with you girls! We will continue this next time, so don't you think you are saved, Buchou!" She finished in direction of Mai before disappearing behind the servant.

Mai arched an eyebrow. "She acts as if she is Atobe's wife already. I should probably try and inject some humility in that head of hers."

"Chiharu is right, though. You should choose a dress soon, Harumi. Harumi?" Amaya shook her friend a little.

Harumi startled and looked up. "Oh yeah, the dress… yeah!"

She walked towards the dresses hanging from their arches and took one off randomly.

_The Seigaku people are here. Fuji is here now. I… I can't let him see me like this… in these plain clothes… I have got to make myself presentable. I've got to make him look at me, to make him realize that I still exist. I've got to…_

She went into the changing room, took off her coat, her boots, her jeans, and put on the soft dress she had chosen. It was made of silk. It was as white as the purest snow, and it descended upon her legs and opened up around her knees, like petals. She looked herself in the mirror, barely hearing the compliments her friends were giving her.

All she could think about was Fuji being here, of Fuji seeing her soon.

"Go ahead! – she told her friends - I will put on some make-up and I will catch up with you guys soon! Go to the buffet! I'm sure you are all dying to let these boys see how pretty you have become!"

"Hell, you are right on that one, Harumi!" Naoko stated.

"Don't you need help for the make-up?" Amaya asked.

"I'll be alright. I'm a big girl, Amaya. I can put on make-up on my own. Go with the girls, and have fun!"

Amaya looked at her one more time. "Alright, then. Don't take too long."

After they had all evacuated the room, Harumi slowly put a hand against that of her reflection, as she watched the girl standing in front of her stare her back with those deep purple eyes.

She closed her hand in a fist, and the girl in the mirror did the same thing. She saw her own eyes fill up with tears as she smashed her fist against the mirror.

"Dammit!"

She leaned her forehead against the glass to cool down her thoughts.

"Damn it, Harumi! What are you thinking? Trying to look beautiful for him? To make him notice you? What on earth are you talking about…? Why would he notice you when he has Sayuri?"

She got a hold of herself by breathing deeply.

"Alright. Calm down… yeah… that's right…for now, I shouldn't think too much. Let's do one thing at a time here…"

She took the comb lying on the dressing table and passed it through her long hair. She heard the door being opened behind her back and closed her eyes in exasperation. It sure was hard to stay away from her friends for long.

"Amaya – she said – I told you I will be there soon, so you don't need to worry about me getting lost!"

Only silence answered her.

Harumi opened her eyes and looked into the mirror. She stopped breathing.

In the mirror, Fuji's dazzling eyes were staring at her.

She turned around vividly in order to face him.

"Gomen! I got a little lost here." Fuji finally said.

Harumi could see herself in her white dress reflecting off of Fuji's blue pupils. The tensai stepped back and started to close the door behind him, after addressing an apologetic smile in her direction.

"Fuji!" She heard herself saying.

The young man froze in his move. Harumi slowly walked towards him, her face expressionless.

"What is it, Harumi-chan?" Fuji asked, his voice insecure.

Harumi swallowed and forced herself to stop before she was too close to him. He was wearing a black tuxedo, and she thought he had never looked so handsome and… irresistible. She smiled at him.

"Fuji! That thing I said back at the hospital, I didn't mean it. So let's stop feeling weird around each other, alright?"

Before he could answer, she had already walked away.

* * *

Omg, I finally, finally, finished this. Sorry it took me two weeks instead of one, but the chapter was pretty long! And i know nothing much happened, but i thought you could all use a little breather among all the drama. and i needed it too! 

hope you still liked it.

thanks for all the reviews! You guys rock! since all my exams are done now, i guess we can all go back to our usual routine, finally:p


	21. More intoxicating than wine

**More intoxicating than wine**

When Harumi finally arrived at the buffet in the ballroom, Atobe was already standing on the stage, in front of the orchestra. All the lights in the room were dimmed, except for one single ray that fell exactly on Atobe's figure with his index raised high in the air.

After having lost her way twice while going to the dance room, Harumi was too weary to pay attention to some rich guy being self-centered.

She squeezed her way among the richly dressed crowd and finally found Amaya and the others. Atobe cleared his throat, and the ray of light that was falling on him grew bigger.

"Good evening, folks! I hope you are all having fun so far, but don't you dare think that this is it. Much better things are waiting for us later in the evening. Now, before the next festivities, I'd like to give you a quick description of my mansion, in case you become too awed by my incredible and one-of-a-kind house, and get yourselves lost in it."

Some people started screaming "Atobe! Atobe!"

Harumi sweatdropped and wondered why they were doing it.

Atobe snapped his fingers and silence came back again.

"Yes, that's right! Be awed by my wealth! Right now, you are standing in the ballroom, which is adjacent to the reception room and the entrance hall. From here, you can go to almost anywhere else in the mansion by using one of these halls that run under the bronze arches. Now, it is just a question of knowing which arch leads where. The first one at your left leads to the spiral stairs that you can partially see from here. However, upstairs is a restricted area. Please hear me carefully on this: whoever steps into that private territory will be severely sanctioned."

His grey eyes wiped across the room, at the awed faces lifted towards him. A small smirk crossed his face, and he continued talking in that slightly trailing voice of his:

"Perfect! Now, the arch at your right will lead you to the west side garden. If you think that it will be boring because it is winter and that there is nothing to see, you are awfully mistaken. Oresama's world does not revolve around seasons! I can produce you the most beautiful rose – he took out a rose from his inner pocket and turned it around his fingers – in the most deadly frost! Always remember that! As far as the garden is concerned, you can all go and see by yourselves what it is about. Now, the last arch that is just beside it leads to the back of the mansion, where we will all go later on in the evening. It leads to a screened swimming pool, exercise room and patio area. Beyond that area are my tennis courts. If you wish to play a match, some of my teammates from Hyotei will be there to challenge you."

At this point, the orchestra started playing a fluid melody. Atobe slowly pulled off a petal from the rose he was holding. He threw that petal into the air, and a ray of light fell on it as it slowly twirled around to the ground. As soon as it touched the floor of the stage, lights of every color started to shine and dance across the walls, illuminating the stage, the crystal tables and all the people present in the room.

There were small cries of awe as the guests turned around to see the effects of the lights tracing figures on the walls. The music changed to a more up tempo one. The entire stage became bright as Atobe bent down while holding his rose in front of him.

"Now, Oresama will start the evening with a first dance. Please step forward, my lovely Queen!"

Another ray of light fell on Chiharu, now ascending the stage. Some guys whistled as she moved past them, her dress floating eerily behind her. She accepted the rose that Atobe was handling her, and then put her other hand in his. Atobe brought it to his mouth and gently kissed it.

"Will you grant me this dance, Chiharu?" He whispered.

Chiharu smiled, her green eyes shining softly under the lights. "Yes, Atobe."

Atobe pulled her close and as they started swaying gently with the music, the floor of the entire ballroom became like a starry sky as little lights scattered all around it started twinkle like stars. Harumi couldn't detach her eyes from the whole scene, and especially from Atobe and Chiharu, now dark shadows against the bright light. They moved as if they were one.

And then, slowly, other men started to approach the girls, asking them to dance. They were all wearing dark tuxedos and were looking handsome under the flashing lights.

"You look startling, princess!" Oishi whispered in Amaya's ear. "Shall we dance?"

Amaya took his arm in response, and they both walked towards the center of the ballroom, where the stars were the most numerous. Harumi smiled gently; she was happy for her friend. From the corner of her eye, she saw Naoko shyly spying on Tezuka, who was seated behind one of the crystal tables.

Aika was actually surprised when Ootori came to her and asked her for a dance. She was about to deny him that pleasure and to search for Momo instead when she saw the Seigaku Regular already dancing with Ann. Feeling jealousy creep up on her at an alarming rate, she angrily led a confused Ootori to the dance floor.

Harumi slowly walked towards one of the tables around which Echizen and Takasan were seated.

"Hey, guys!" She said upon seeing them.

"Senpai, you are not dancing?" Echizen asked.

She thought he actually looked pretty cute in a tuxedo with his black hair finally free from his cap.

"Well, I don't know how to dance anyway. I mean, I think it's boring. You just sway around and do nothing. I don't really like it. I prefer to sit down and eat something."

The music changed, and now a girl was singing. Harumi turned around to look at the stage, but instead crossed Fuji's gaze from across the dance floor.

She was surprised by the look in his face. His eyes were open, but the light in them were soft as he looked upon her figure. She couldn't detach her eyes from him.

_Fuji… ask me to dance… I beg you! Ask anything of me, and I will comply to it. I will not let you down, I promise. I just need you to ask me first. If you want it too… please come to me. Come to me, Fuji!_

Fuji started walking towards her. All Harumi could feel was her heart pounding against her chest. The music sounded dim; the lights dancing on the walls were just far away shadows. She could see his face clearly. Slowly, he closed his eyes and smiled at her.

The kindness on his face made her heart melt as she made a hesitant step towards him.

And then, someone hugged her from behind and whirled her around.

"Harumi, nya! Here you are!"

The young girl blinked and saw the teasing grin on Eiji's face. The music was loud once more in her ears.

"Ah… Eiji! Hey!" She muttered distractedly as she looked over her shoulder in direction of the dance floor. Fuji was now nowhere to be seen. Harumi let out a sigh.

_Just what was that back there…?_

"Harumi! You look… woah!" Eiji complimented her with one eye closed.

She smiled and scanned him from hair to toe. He was wearing the same black tuxedo as everyone else, but he did seem to have plenty of class in those clothes.

"Well, you look pretty kawaii yourself!" She lifted a hand, intending to ruffle through his hair, but Eiji quickly evaded her hand, laughing.

"I know your habit, nya! Can't get me forever with that!"

"Neh…? Says who?" The young girl jumped behind him to get a hold of his hair, but he was actually pretty tall. She ended up hanging onto his back.

"Eiji, you are so cheating with that height of yours!"

Eiji passed a hand through his hair. "Nya, you are the shorty, Harumi."

"Senpais…" Echizen called out in a bored voice.

"What is it, ochibi?"

"You are blocking the view."

Momo returned from his dance with Ann and glided close to Echizen's seat. As he heard the last words from the young boy, he teasingly messed up his hair with one hand. "Neh? So you are looking at the pretty girls, aren't ya, Echizen? You are starting to grow up, you sure are!"

Echizen pushed his hand off. "Not at all. I just don't want to pass the evening looking at the acrobatics of Kikumaru senpai and Yamazaki senpai."

"Gomen, ochibi!" Harumi said while sitting down.

"Hey, only _I_ can call him "ochibi"!" Eiji sulked by her side.

Harumi rolled her eyes. "Look, if you are going to behave like a spoiled child this early in the evening, I am going elsewhere!"

Eiji crossed his arms. "Tseh!"

The first dance ended, and a lot of couples went to sit down around of the crystal tables. The lights increased in intensity and the music receded to the background. Atobe's voice once more resonated in the ballroom : "Now, minna-san, the dinner shall begin."

Waiters carrying huge plates and jars of juice and water came in from below the arches in a long procession. Each waiter would come by each table and would ask the guests if they would like to eat the food they were carrying.

Everything looked so good and juicy and Harumi ordered a little bit of everything. Soon, the table that she was sharing with Eiji, Echizen, Momo and Takasan was crowded with all sorts of food, going from fried shrimps to sliced apples.

"This is a very… original menu!" Takasan said while eyeing the mountain of food in front of him.

Harumi clasped her hands together. "Come on! Just eat one thing at a time and everything will be fine!"

"Harumi, the food won't go away if you order them later, you know?" Momo said with false exasperation.

"I don't mind! – Eiji said while stuffing a chicken leg into his mouth – I mean, this is all good stuff, so just go ahead and eat away!"

"Well, finally someone who understands my reasoning! – Harumi proclaimed while tapping his shoulder – you are such a good boy, Eiji!"

Discreetly, she looked at the other tables, wishing to see where Fuji was. Since she had told him that her confession was meaningless, she had felt sad but relieved. It seemed to her that just by having said that, she could erase all that had happened and start over again from zero.

Also, since that moment, she had been anxious to see how Fuji had taken her words. She would get troubled when he wasn't in her field of view, and she would immediately feel more at peace when she had found him again among the crowd.

Right now, he was speaking with Tezuka, sitting by his side. Their table was almost at the opposite side of hers in the ballroom. At their table were also Mai, Amaya and Oishi. Harumi stared at the brunette talking with his Buchou. Just looking at him made her feel better.

If she couldn't have him, at least she could watch him to her heart's content, and no one could deprive her from that pleasure.

Fuji's head turned slightly in her direction and she quickly dropped her gaze to her food.

Near the stage, where the orchestra was taking a break while some soft rock music was being spread around the room by two loudspeakers, was a table where candles were burning. Atobe and Chiharu sat there side by side, along with Kabaji and, to Harumi's surprise, Ootori and Aika.

Harumi poked Momo on the arm and showed him that sight.

"What?" The Seigaku Regular asked while chewing his steak.

"That's Aika with the Hyotei player, right?"

Momo narrowed his eyes to see better, and then swallowed. "Yup! It does look that way!"

"Aren't you… jealous, or something?"

Momo almost choked on his spit. "Are you kidding me? That nuisance of a girl is finally away from me! I will be praying the Gods tonight!"

"Hoi, you are being a big meanie to her, Momo!" Eiji frowned.

Momo turned towards the red head, his purple eyes shining with seriousness.

"Okay, Kikumaru-senpai, you really don't understand! Be in my shoes for one day and you will see what I am talking about!"

Eiji smirked. "I will pass!"

When dinner was over, the orchestra started playing some jazz music. People started to go to the center of the ballroom as the lights dimmed once again.

Waiters came to take away the dirty dishes, and to bring dessert and drinks. To Harumi's surprise, a lot of them had alcohol in them.

"Sake, whiskey, pina colada, martini, vodka?" She read on the menu with disbelief. "Ano… aren't we sort of… underage?"

"You are right, but I guess that at this kind of dinner, apple juice doesn't fit very well!" Takasan declared thoughtfully.

"Who cares! This is pretty damn cool! – Momo cried out loudly – Oi, waiter! Waiter! Bring me some whiskey, please!"

Harumi rested her cheek in her palm. "Okay, prediction: a drunk Momo is what we will get by the end of the night!"

"Mada mada dane." Echizen stated from above his can of Ponta.

Harumi frowned. "How did that statement get squeezed in the discussion? You don't need to throw these three little words at us at every occasion, you know?"

The young boy's hazel eyes shot in her direction. Everyone looked pretty shocked, actually.

Eiji squeezed her shoulder and muttered. "Don't destroy ochibi's Bible!"

"Oops. Okay."

As she looked away, she suddenly crossed Fuji's eyes as he, too, was looking in her direction. She quickly placed one lock of hair behind her ear as she evaded having eye contact with the tensai.

A waiter came into her field of view and she automatically extended her hand to take a glass from the silver plateau he was carrying. Without looking at what it contained, she lifted it to her lips and swallowed the whole content. Immediately after, an overwhelming burning feeling ran all the way from her throat to her stomach. She grimaced and put down the glass noisily on the table, startling all her friends.

Momo actually blinked with admiration.

"Yamazaki senpai! You just took a shot of vodka! I'm impressed! I thought you didn't drink!"

Harumi stared in his direction, a hand around her throat.

"I don't! Water! I need water!" She cawed.

However, there was no water nearby, so she had to deal with the heat propagating throughout her entire body. It was her first contact with alcohol, and she was simply astounded by the waves of burning sensation it provided her with.

A man all in white, unknown to Harumi and her friends, went onstage and started singing a famous Japanese song. Many people returned to their tables, and started tapping at the rhythm of the melody while singing along.

The excitement and the joy in the ballroom were intoxicating to the extent that Momo and Takasan started to sing out loud while holding out to each other. A waiter came by and more drinks were ordered. Harumi looked at Eiji, and saw him finishing his martini with a cat-like grin on his face.

_How stupid! Everyone is drinking! We are still underage, for God's sake!_

"Oi, Harumi, check this one out! It tastes really good!" Momo roared while pushing in her direction a glass full of a red liquid.

"Wine?" Harumi asked suspiciously.

"You will see!"

_This is insane! I will not touch it. I will not!_

Her hand crept along the table and closed itself around the glass without her consent. Next thing she knew, she had emptied it. A much stronger burning sensation ran through her stomach, but this time it left her feeling extremely warm both outside and inside. She blinked and then looked around her, astounded by how beautiful the lights were, and how loud the music was.

The singer stopped singing and stepped off the stage after receiving a round of warm applause. Someone from the orchestra started playing on the violin. He was soon joined by a flute and a piano.

Harumi didn't know why, but that melody made her feel like dancing. Suddenly, she saw the people at Fuji's table standing up and walking towards them. Amaya and Oishi stopped at the middle of the ballroom and started to swing slowly in sync, holding each other tight.

Tezuka and Mai arrived at their table and started talking with Momo, Takasan and Echizen.

Suddenly, a blue shadow dashed before Harumi's eyes. She recognized it as being Naoko, who just tumbled into Tezuka's arms. Naoko's face turned crimson as she threw a dark stare over her shoulder at her twin sister who had pushed her forward.

"Go…gomen, Tezuka-san." She whispered feebly.

Tezuka helped her to stand straight once more before touching his glasses briefly. "No, don't mention it."

Naoko was silently staring at his polished shoes when a nudge to her back made her groan. She threw another menacing stare in Naoki's direction before lifting her blue eyes towards the Buchou's face.

"Ano… Tezuka-san, I was just wondering… if you enjoyed dancing."

Harumi didn't hear Tezuka's reply as her gaze suddenly shifted towards the center of the ballroom, where Fuji had stopped to pick up a drink from a waiter's tray. He then walked in their direction, eyes smiling softly.

Not knowing what she was doing, she stood up suddenly, intending to go away under the excuse of taking a walk. She didn't want to face Fuji now. However, she had to jerk to a stop as she felt her dress getting caught in the back of her chair. She pulled at it angrily, but it would not come loose. Throwing a fearful glance over her shoulder, she saw Fuji approaching inexorably.

He was near to their table when a girl suddenly approached him, driving him to a halt. Harumi felt her heart stop beating as she finally stopped pulling on her dress. From over the buzz of conversation and the music from the orchestra, she heard the girl's voice clearly:

"Syusuke! How rude of you for not telling me that there was a party this weekend!"

Harumi saw the tensai's expression become unreadable. She bit her lower lip and slowly put her hands on the table before her.

Fuji said something to her but she didn't hear it. Sayuri got a hold of his arm and pulled him close.

"Maa, that's not an excuse! Did you ever consider how I would feel, being left out like this? Well, since you are my one and only Syusuke, I will forgive you. I didn't come here to be angry, but to have fun. This music sounds nice. Why don't we dance?"

Fuji slowly freed his arm from her grasp. This time, Harumi heard him quite clearly:

"Gomen, but I don't like to dance."

Sayuri gave him a gentle tap on the shoulder. "Nonsense. You like it as much as the average person."

Her aqua eyes became serious. "I have matters I need to discuss with you, so how about you just grant me this one dance? It's a slow, so we will get plenty of privacy."

Fuji frowned. "We can discuss it outside, then."

Sayuri took his arm again and led him to the center of the dance floor, while whispering something that Harumi didn't manage to hear, despite all her effort.

Even after they were both out of her sight, she still stood in that posture, hands on the table, a burning feeling that had nothing to do with alcohol twisting its way inside her guts. When she noticed that her knees were trembling slightly, she slowly sank back into her seat.

"Harumi? What's wrong, nya!" Eiji asked.

"Nothing. I'm feeling dizzy. I think I drank too much!" She said matter-of-factly while passing a hand through her hair.

Eiji analyzed her face with those big dark blue eyes of his. "Hmm, you do look sort of pale. We can go outside and cool down a bit, if you want."

Harumi answered something distractedly, while her purple eyes scanned the dance floor. Suddenly, she saw a glimpse of them, dancing close together. Sayuri's chin was resting on his shoulder as her mouth voiced words she couldn't hear.

Harumi quickly scanned her appearance. She was wearing a turquoise dress that matched with her eyes. A golden necklace was shining at her neck. Her silver hair that she usually hid under a cap was now flying freely behind her shoulders.

Anger boiled inside her chest when she saw with which familiarity she held on to Fuji, as if he belonged to her.

She stood up, and this time, her dress came loose. She grabbed a glass of wine that was lying nearby on the table and drank its content quickly. Then, she took Eiji's hand and pulled him off the chair.

"W… what's going on?" Eiji exclaimed, looking at her in a perplexed way.

Two purple eyes settled in his. Eiji was taken aback by the intensity he saw in them.

"Eiji – she said with a smile – please dance with me!"

Momo, Takasan and Echizen stopped their conversation to look at her with astounded faces. Harumi gave Eiji's arm a pull. "Neh?"

"W…well, sure, yeah, if you want!" He staggered as a red shade invaded his cheeks.

Harumi smiled again. "Thank you."

Holding his hand firmly, she walked towards the dance floor.

Eiji trailed behind her, barely believing the reality of her request. He didn't know why he was so happy, but it didn't matter, now.

As they walked by couples swaying gently under the dimmed lights, all he could see was Harumi's figure walking ahead of him, her white dress brushing gently against her ankles at every step. Her hand in which his own was enclosed felt warm and gentle. He wondered briefly where she was going, but then decided that it was unimportant. He would follow her anywhere.

Suddenly, she pivoted towards him and stopped. There were at the center of the ballroom; the little lights scattered on the floor were like the numerous stars of a summer night's sky. As their light fell softly on the young girl's face, he was awed by how beautiful she looked.

He had never looked at girls before, but he was looking at her, now. He couldn't detach his eyes from the way her bangs fell on her eyes when she raised her head to gaze upon his face, nor the lovely way her mouth curved when she smiled.

He faintly realized that he was transpiring slightly, and that his heart seemed to be acting in a weird way, but all of these things were secondary to the overwhelming feeling invading his body, a feeling more intoxicating than all the wine in the world.

"Let's dance here, Eiji." She said.

He nodded, and slowly put his arms around her waist. She came close to him and laid hers on his shoulders. As they began to sway at the gentle tempo of the music, he was aware of the warmth of her body underneath the smooth material of her dress.

Harumi peeked at the floor over Eiji's shoulder, and was awed by the beauty of it ; it seemed as if all the stars on the firmament had fallen on Earth. Dancing was not as hard as she had imagined. Eiji was leading her well. She looked around her, at the other couples swinging in the dark, and felt like simply letting herself go in the magic of the moment.

She was safe with Eiji. He was the only who could make her laugh when she felt the most like crying. He was the one who had found her on that container and had melted her frozen heart. If she just rested her head on his shoulder, she could close her eyes and forget the pain she was enduring.

But she couldn't. Because less than three meters from where they were dancing, she could see Fuji and Sayuri. Slowly, as Eiji and her swayed around and around, they gradually got nearer to the other couple.

Fuji and Sayuri were silent as of now. On the stage, the flute ended the melody and a brief silence fell on the ballroom. The lights remained dim.

"Harumi – she heard Eiji whispering in her ear – why did you ask me to dance?"

She felt remorse creeping up on her conscience, but she couldn't voice it.

"Because… I felt like it. I'm sorry in advance if I step on your feet. I don't dance very well."

Eiji held her closer. "Me either."

Harumi was ready to say something else when Sayuri's voice cut her off:

"Ah, Syusuke, did I already tell you that you look absolutely handsome tonight?"

Fuji sighed. "Yes, you did. Several times. But don't change the subject."

The first notes of a song came out from the loudspeakers, enveloping the dancers in its moving yet sad tune.

However, Harumi closed her eyes and tried to keep the music out.

"Look, I don't want to talk about that anymore." Sayuri groaned.

"Oh, but we have to." Fuji retorted. "I told you at the hospital that I didn't want to see you anymore, so why are you still here?"

Harumi's heart skipped a beat.

_He… he told her that? Which means…_

Sayuri looked away. "Like I have told you a minute ago, it is because I still have feelings for you. Please, can't you just think about it carefully before writing me off completely? Have you forgotten the times we have spent together as kids? I am only asking this one thing from you. Won't you think about it?"

Fuji remained silent. As a ray of light briefly fell on his face, Harumi saw that his eyes were open as he stared sadly at the floor.

"I haven't forgotten it – he finally answered – but neither have I forgotten how it ended. I thought we were happy, but Sayuri… you were the one who left. You were the one who chose to end it."

"We all make mistakes, and I certainly made a big one. But, Syusuke, the fact that I am here now, doesn't it mean anything? I see clearly what is truly important to me now, so what about you? It is your turn to see that clearly as well. Is it so hard for you to forgive me? Don't you want to go back to what we had before?"

A longer pause followed that statement. Sayuri pursued quietly:

"Syusuke, I've heard that you have been single all this time. Deep inside, you know what that means. You still love me."

Fuji's hand tightened on her waist. Sayuri smiled.

"So, you should stop lying to yourself. You were never good at doing it. I know you well, and that's why I can read what is going through your mind. You truly do love me, still. I can see it in your eyes."

She pressed her body against his. "And I can feel it in the way you are holding me. I have missed that feeling, Syusuke."

Harumi's hands tightened on Eiji's shoulders. The redhead eyed her sideways, unsure of its meaning.

Fuji bit his lower lip.

"Do you expect me to just forget your betrayal? To act as if it hasn't happened? Sayuri, how would I know that you won't do it again?"

Sayuri took some distance from him in order to look straight into his eyes.

"I have seen through my mistake. I will not make the same one ever again. Besides, we got to meet again, didn't we? The fact that we are here tonight means that we should give our relationship a second chance. Syusuke, don't you see? We were meant to be together! There were obstacles along the way, but I know we can overcome them! Don't you remember the vows you had made to me back then? You swore that you would always love me. If those vows meant anything at all, you should be able to see that I'm telling you the truth."

Fuji looked away.

"I… I will think about it."

Sayuri smiled. "Well, it's a good start. I hope you will make the right decision. I've missed you, Syusuke."

Sayuri stood on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Harumi gripped Eiji's shoulder, the pain of loss shooting down her heart. As unwanted tears started to fall down her cheeks, she pressed her face against Eiji's shoulder.

"Harumi, are you okay?" Eiji asked while taking some distance away from her.

It was at that moment that he saw Fuji and Sayuri leaving the dance floor together. His hand tightened momentarily around her waist. Harumi quickly wiped off her tears while Eiji wasn't looking, and then presented a smiling face to him.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Let's go back, Harumi." Eiji said.

"No. Wait…"

Eiji looked at her, surprised, but she just pulled him close to her once more and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Let me dance with you for a little longer."

Eiji's dark blue eyes shook briefly, and then he closed them and put his arms around her once more. "Hai, hai, princess."

Harumi smiled slightly and closed her eyes as well. A song was now pouring out of the speakers.

_You ask me if I love you  
And I choke on my reply  
I'd rather hurt you honestly  
Than mislead you with a lie_

Eiji felt her shoulders trembling slightly and knew that she was crying. He couldn't do anything else to comfort her but to lend her a shoulder on which she could cry.

_And who am I to judge you  
On what you say or do?  
I'm only just beginning to see the real you._

After some more steps, she quietly dried her eyes and declared in a happy tone.

"Let's go back, Eiji. I'm thirsty."

From the corner of her eye, she saw Sayuri leaving the ballroom. However, it didn't provide her with any feeling of joy or relief. After hearing their conversation, she knew that if she truly loved Fuji, she should let him go.

_And sometimes when we touch  
The honesty's too much_

_And I have to close my eyes and hide  
I wanna hold you til I die  
Til we both break down and cry_

While returning to their table, she saw Fuji standing near the stage. As she passed him by, a ray of light fell on both them. He saw her.

_I wanna hold you till the fear in me subsides._

He looked as if he wanted to tell her something. His arm lifted slightly, as if he wanted to stop her. And then the light around them faded, and everything went dark. His action was unachieved; his words were unspoken. She closed her eyes and walked away from him. Their happiness together was only one ephemeral moment in time.

_Romance and all its strategy  
Leaves me battling with my pride  
But through the insecurity  
Some tenderness survives  
I'm just another writer  
Still trapped within my truth  
A hesitant prize fighter  
Still trapped within my youth_

After making three more steps, Harumi slowly touched her forearm, which has brushed shortly against his hand just as the light had went dark. It was the first time they have touched each other in a long time. She held that arm close to her heart.

_And sometimes when we touch  
The honesty's too much  
And I have to close my eyes and hide  
I wanna hold you til I die  
Til we both break down and cry  
I wanna hold you till the fear in me subsides._

She went back to their table with Eiji, and sank in her seat. She emptied a glass of whiskey, and then laid down her head on her forearms.

_At times I'd like to break you  
And drive you to your knees  
At times I'd like to break through  
And hold you endlessly._

"Fuji… why did I ever fall in love with you?" She whispered to herself. "If I knew this would happen, I would have rather died."

_At times I understand you  
And I know how hard you've tried  
I've watched while love commands you  
And I've watched love pass you by._

"But now the damage is done. Just what am I supposed to do?"

She lifted her head and drank some more.

_At times I think we're drifters  
Still searching for a friend  
A brother or a sister,  
But then the passion flares again._

"Fuji… tell me what I'm supposed to do. Tell me… how to let you go."

_And sometimes when we touch  
The honesty's too much  
And I have to close my eyes and hide  
I wanna hold you til I die  
Til we both break down and cry  
I wanna hold you till the fear in me subsides._

As the last notes of song faded away, the lights brightened up. Harumi blinked as she tried to adjust her eyes to the brightness of her surroundings. She vaguely heard Atobe's voice declaring that the dance was now over, and that they would then proceed to the swimming pool, where the second part of the party was to be held.

* * *

"Harumi! You look great in that bathing suit! Wanna jump in?" Amaya exclaimed excitedly, hopping at the edge of the pool. 

Harumi splashed water on her hot face, trying to clarify her fuzzy mind. It had been one hour since she was sitting there, at the edge of the pool, with her legs hanging leisurely in the water.

Loud rock music was pouring from speakers that she couldn't see. Everyone was yelling excitedly, or running around, or pushing other people into the water. Waiters carrying trays full of drinks zigzagged among the noisy teenagers without hesitation, delivering glasses of beer.

Harumi didn't know this party would be so full of alcohol. She knew that her parents had prohibited her from touching it before she was at least seventeen, but once she had started with a first glass of wine, she couldn't help herself anymore. She couldn't think logically anymore.

At some level, she didn't want to be conscious of what was around her. She wanted to escape from reality, to be as excited as everyone else, to have fun and to forget everything that she had overheard on that dance floor. She emptied another bottle of beer and looked at Amaya jumping in front of her.

"So, what do you say, girl?" Amaya asked, her cheeks red.

Before Harumi could answer, Oishi sneaked upon her friend from behind and kissed her neck. Amaya giggled and pushed him off. "What are you doing, Oishi?"

Oishi's cheeks had also a shade of pink in them. They both seemed as all the alcohol they had consumed was starting to go to their heads.

Oishi wasn't at all his usual responsible self as he dragged the black haired girl into his arms once more and whispered teasingly in her ear: "It's your fault for being so pretty! Now come closer…"

Amaya pretended to struggle against him. "Stop it, Oishi. Stop it!"

When Oishi took her in his arms and cut her off by putting his lips against hers, Amaya went limp in his arms and let him kiss her. Harumi looked away; even in her drunken state, she was shocked that her friend was displaying this kind of behaviour in public. However, she had to admit that the atmosphere around the pool appealed to intimacy. The lights flashing from under the waters gave a magical look to the whole area. It was as if the water surface was covered by a thin layer of gold. Just by looking at it made some people feel romantic.

Except for these lights in the water, the room was pretty much dim. Harumi didn't know where her other friends had gone to, but she wanted to get out of there. Among all the couples kissing or talking quietly together, she felt awfully lonely and out of place.

She snatched another beer from a waiter's tray and walked unsteadily around the edge of the pool, looking for the exit. The loud music was killing her eardrums.

On a long chair further off from the waters, she saw Chiharu sitting against Atobe. Their foreheads were bent close together as they whispered loving words to each other.

Harumi walked away from that sight, feeling frustrated by the fact of seeing other people holding their happiness in the nest of their palms while she had lost it all. A moment later, she bumped into Eiji and Takasan, each holding an empty box in their hands.

"What are you guys doing?" She asked after gulping down some more beer.

Takasan answered by letting out a roar and swinging his box back and forth at his side.

"BURNING. I feel the BURN. Yess!!"

He was obviously drunk. Eiji seemed in better state as he closed an eye and whispered confidentially:

"We are going to the storage room over there, nya. The waiters are overwhelmed, and the drinks are taking too long. Hoi, I figured that if beer is not coming to us, we are going to go to the beer!"

Harumi's mouth curved in a smirk. "That has to be the brightest idea ever, Eiji. I'm coming along."

The three of them walked towards the white room at the outside corner of the pool. Takasan had started to sing something in a language that was not Japanese.

"Maybe Takasan should rest here." Harumi proposed.

"No… No… I have to come with you guys."

"Eiji, why did you let him get so drunk?" She sighed.

The redhead shrugged. "When I found him, he was already like that. It's not my fault, nya."

Harumi tried to open the door. "Great. It's locked. Here is the beginning and the end of our great plan."

"There are no such things as locked doors. BURNING!" Takasan shouted and then jumped against the door, trying to break it open with his shoulder. Harumi and Eiji each took him by an arm and made him back off.

"Maybe we should knock him KO before he destroys anything else." Harumi mumbled.

Takasan's eyes widened as he pointed a shaky finger towards the door. Eiji turned around and saw that the door was slightly ajar. He cheered and hugged Takasan from behind. "You did it! It's open, now! See, Takasan was useful for something, after all! Alright, let's go in, Harumi. And Takasan, you better stay here and find out if the door is broken."

"Yeah, stay outside. If someone comes, tell us." Harumi added.

"NO! I…"

However, Eiji and Harumi had already disappeared inside. Takasan arched an eyebrow and then sighed. He approached the door and examined it. "There is nothing wrong with it! It is working just fine. Besides, where did they get the idea that I know anything about doors? I am a sushi chief. The best sushi chief in Japan after my old man! Yeah, that's right!"

He let out a loud laugh.

In the meantime, Eiji and Harumi were trying to find the light switch, but all they could manage to do was to bump into each other and against other objects that they couldn't discern. The only source of light came from outside the breach that the open door of the storage room created.

Harumi groped the wall with her hands, but everything was smooth to her touch. After a while, she felt the floor reeling underneath her feet.

"Ugh, I think I am going to be sick."

Eiji's reply was cut off by the door suddenly shutting close, cutting off the only light source they had.

Eiji let out a scream. Harumi walked to the door and banged on it. "Takasan! Takasan! What the hell are you doing?"

She tried to turn the handle but it was broken. "Takasan, I told you to fix the stupid door!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

There was no reply from the other side. Eiji somehow managed to join her.

"What's going on, Harumi? It's so dark in here!"

"Takasan! You fool! If this is your definition of a joke, it is not funny! Stop being an ass and open the freaking door!"

Eiji soon joined his screams to that of Harumi as he banged on the door. Suddenly, his foot slipped. He fell sideways, and in his fall, knocked the young girl to the ground as well.

They laid there on the cold floor for a while, breathing heavily. Then, Harumi let out a laugh.

"Okay, this is the most ridiculous scenario ever."

She laughed again. After a while, Eiji joined her. She didn't know what was so funny, but she just couldn't stop laughing.

She held her ribs and laughed until tears were oozing out of her eyes. She could hear Eiji laughing at her side, which only increased her own fit of hilarity.

When they finally calmed down a little, she went into a sitting position with her back against the door. Her eyes were more used to the darkness now, and she could vaguely discern Eiji's silhouette standing next to her.

"What are you doing?" She inquired between two deep breaths.

Eiji mumbled something, and then groped his surroundings until he found an object having a rectangular form. It looked like a box. He opened it and bent over to look inside.

"Hoi, hoi, lucky! It is beer alright!"

After performing a little dance, he took out two bottles and handed one to the young girl.

She popped the cap open and gulped down three straight mouthfuls of its content. Eiji sat down by her side.

"Now what?" She asked.

"I don't know what Takasan is up to, nya, but from our current position there is nothing we can do."

"Okay, so basically we are locked here until further notice. Imagine if we have to pass the night here! I don't have any real clothes on, for God's sake."

For the first time, she was aware that she was only wearing a two piece bathing suit, and that Eiji had only a short on. Somehow the situation seemed even funnier that way.

Eiji started to whistle some unknown melody to himself. Harumi finished her beer and lied against his side, seeking for a more comfortable position.

"Do I look like a pillow to you?" The redhead sighed.

"Yeah."

"Nani?" Sigh. "Alright, I will let this pass, just because it's you, Harumi."

Harumi snatched the can of beer he was holding and finished it.

"Oi, that was mine!"

"Not anymore!"

"And don't you think you are drinking too much?"

"Hey, we are locked in a room full of _beer_. What else do you want me to do?"

Time passed slowly. Harumi was feeling sleepy, now. Her head was reeling, and her eyelids felt heavy. Even after all the alcohol she had engulfed, she couldn't manage to stay warm anymore. She passed her arms around Eiji's waist and lied down on his bare chest. "Hm, I'm cold, so keep me warm, Eiji."

After a brief pause, Eiji hesitantly put a hand on her the bare skin of her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Arigatou, Eiji. But… I don't feel like falling asleep here, dammit." The young girl whispered.

When she opened her eyes, she saw his face almost clearly in the dark. He was displaying his usual cat-like grin.

"Why not? You are so kawaii when you sleep, nya."

Even in the dark, she could see his eyes shining softly. She smiled.

"Really? You are kawaii when you are awake, Eiji."

Suddenly, Eiji leaned close to her to look into her face. "I have to take back what I just said."

She frowned in confusion.

He softly touched her cheek. "You are not kawaii. You are beautiful."

He gently brushed her eyebrows with one finger. "Your eyes…your nose… your mouth…" His finger traced her features and finished on her chin, as he lifted her face towards his. "They are all beautiful, nya."

Harumi's eyes widened. Even with the alcohol masking her reasoning, she knew something unusual was going on. She didn't understand that warm feeling washing all over her body.

She tried to look away, but Eiji gently forced her to return her gaze upon him once more.

"I love you, Harumi."

She gasped.

Seeing her expression in the dark, his eyes closed in a smile as he slowly placed a lock of hair behind her ear. "I just wanted you to know that."

Slowly, Harumi raised a hand to her chest, in a vain attempt to repress the crazy beats of her heart. Her voice was lost in her throat. She couldn't answer him. She didn't know what to answer him. Eiji, her best friend, loved her.

If only her heart would calm down…

She felt blood rushing to her head.

And then she felt Eiji's lips on top of hers. She stared, unblinking, at the ceiling while her brain was trying to process what was happening to her.

_He is kissing me…Eiji… he is kissing me. He loves me._

She pulled away.

"Eiji… what…"

She was cut off by another kiss. She didn't have the strength to pull away from him a second time.

During that instant when everything seemed to freeze around her, transient pieces of memories rolled in front of her eyes.

The sight of Eiji's cheerful smile.

The childish tone in his voice.

The warmth of his body.

The sincerity in his eyes.

She remembered that moment on the container… the feeling of his scarf around her neck.

She remembered his face framed by the falling snowflakes.

Slowly, she closed her eyes and passed her arms around his neck as he kissed her. She knew Eiji would never hurt her. She knew she was safe with him.

That was her first kiss.

_Remember when _

_We never needed each other;  
The best of friends _

_Like sister and brother.  
We understood we'd never be  
Alone._

_Those days are gone, and I want you so much.  
The night is long and I need your touch.  
I don't know what to say;  
I never meant to feel this way.  
I don't want to be  
Alone tonight._

_What can I do to make you mine?  
Falling so hard, so fast this time.  
What did I say? What did you do?  
How did I fall in love with you?_

_I hear your voice,  
And I start to tremble;  
Brings back the child that I resemble._

_I cannot pretend that we can still be friends.  
I don't want to be  
Alone tonight. _

* * *

Okay, is it just me or my chapters are getting longer? Oo 

Anyways, one more done! Cool, huh? I actually enjoyed writing this chapter very much!

It's a decisive moment, guys!

Who will Harumi choose?

And here is what we are going to do. Since we are living in democratic countries, we are going to VOTE:p Tell me who you'd rather see Harumi with. Is it Fuji? Or is it Eiji?

This will not necessarily influence the course of the story, since I have it pretty much planned out until the end. But it's just to have fun and for me to hear your opinions on the matter. And once you have decided who you are gonna vote for, please tell me for what reason you like that pair-up better!

Alright… one more thing I want to say before I answer to your reviews… there were two songs in this chapter, and I like both of them. The first one is a Fuji / Harumi song, and it is called "Sometimes when we touch", by Dan Hill. The second one, at the end, is a Eiji / Harumi song, called "How did I fall in love with you", by the Backstreet Boys. If you wanna listen to them, just visit our old friend youtube!

**I-Poke-Penguins:** it's funny that you talk about choices now! Well, it is very interesting, indeed. Please vote for your favorite couple then, haha! And for sure, all your questions will be answered in future chapters! Thanks for reading!

**Anime 300 :** thanks for the review! Hope you liked the chappy!

**DYL0103 :** thank you so much!! Hope you liked the update! And usually I post once a week. usually it is a Sunday!!

**Singer in the wind:** thanks! Yeah… I know I have been mean to her, but now she has a chance with someone else, right?

**Eiji.K.lover123 :** ok, I have to say that I always love your reviews, girl! Thanks! So many questions indeed. Don't worry, you are going to get all your answers before this story is over, haha. It's true that she has hidden her emotions for too long. It is a good thing that she told Eiji everything. And now… well… their relationship has evolved, haha. Eiji is a really cool character. I like him tons, and I think it shows. :p he must the cutest anime character ever created in the history of anime. Omg, now that you mention it, the end of the story does seem close. Oo. But don't worry, plenty of things are still going to happen before then! Oh, yeah, I just remembered: you asked before where I got my ideas from, right? Well, that's actually a good question. The thing is that I started with a rough plan, but as I write the story, it pretty much deviated from that original plan. Man, the ideas just come when I'm writing. I like to think that it's because the characters are writing their own stories, haha. They are ALIVE! Anyways, hope you liked the chappy, girl!! And thanks again for everything!

**JayleeJ :** omg, are you serious? Thanks so much! I just re-read my last chapter and realized the ending is a cliffie indeed! Oo. Believe me or not, I didn't intend to make it a cliffie, but the ending just turned out to be that way. Oh well, do you consider the ending of this chapter a cliffie as well:p .

**Rita:** well, personally, I think the last chapter wasn't my personal best. I have no idea why, though. I just felt that way. But hey, if you guys liked it, then I'm happy. I have nothing to complain about, haha. Well, my drawing has nothing to do with my writing. I suck at drawing… seriously! Oo. I don't want to deform any of my characters, so I don't draw them. On my profile are some pictures of the couples. You can see Harumi there. Just imagine her in that white dress, cause I really can't help you on that one, lol.

**Fujilovesme:** well, this was the actual dance. Do you hate Sayuri even more now? Lol. Thanks for the review!

**All Sweetness Wisdom:** woah! Thanks so much for liking it! Yeah, I have been wanting to write a PoT fic for a long time. I wanted to write something with romance in it, but no yaoi, so I was going through the list of characters, and going wild in my head, cause it seemed like a desperate cause. And then I was like : "Wait, there are OCs!" And yeah, that's basically what happened. Anyways, im glad you like it! hope you enjoyed this chappy as well!!!

**Kp-sama:** Fuji getting his senses back! That's an interesting thing to say. I hope so too. You hear that, Fuji? Lol. Thanks for the review, and never mind my randomness.

**Moonlight19:** you are back with your long reviews!! Haha. Love it, girl. Didn't know you slept at a dorm! Hope you get to read this, then! sorry for making you wait till the end of the chapter for a Fuji / Harumi scene, but I really wanted to emphasize on the fact that they rarely speak to each other, now. LOL. If you are in love with Fuji, you are not the only one! But my problem is… I am equally in love with Eiji… so… what now? And I don't think a lot of people like Sayuri. If she existed in real life, that would piss me off. I'm glad she is only in my story. Hum, Harumi never knew that Sayuri had hurt Fuji before. The only people who know that fact are Fuji, Sayuri, and the readers, because of Fuji's dream. But all the other characters are unaware of it. and you are right, it is really hard to open up to others. Just to show how important Eiji is to her, and how he can influence her, I made her tell him before she told Amaya, or even her parents. I think Harumi trusts Eiji completely. You need Fuji / Harumi moments… ok… you will be satisfied… eventually. I promise that you will get them, though! I have everything planned out. ( takes out her Inui notebook ).

All my exams are over now!! That's why I had much more time to write this chapter!! Thanks for all your encouragement!!! (hugs moonlight) see ya soon!!!!

**Hajimari:** LOL. Hard choice, hard choice, huh? Now you get the official vote, so you pretty much have to choose, now. I hope this ending wasn't too much of a cliffie… I make cliffies unconsciously, so I apologize in advance for any future cliffies, but remember that I am not responsible, haha. Regarding Aika… well… maybe she will end up with Ootori instead. Who knows? Lol.

**White Alchemist Taya:** no one likes Sayuri so far. It's meant to be this way. She is the enemy in this story. A lot of questions arise from all this mess, I will try to answer them all, don't worry about that, haha. We will have a sneak peek inside Fuji's head, soon. I think it will actually happen in the next chapter. Thanks for the review!

**Livelyrose:** LOL. Glad to hear you like my story to that extent. I promise I will try my best to post every week. Are you okay using the website now? If you have questions, I'll try to answer them the best I can!!! Take care girl!! Ps: oh yeah, you mentioned your challenge before, right? Hum… I don't know if I can do it after all, with my school schedule and this story... but you know what? I've actually thought about a potential storyline. If I don't get to post it for your challenge, I will make it my next fic! .

**Luvracci :** thanks for loving Harumi:p . I think she needs love right now. I love her too, and no, it's not a sadistic love. Seriously. I think people need to go through hard times in order to know what true happiness is. Since I am optimistic, I know she will obtain what she is looking for if she doesn't give up. Now, if she does give up, then it is another matter. Well, anyways, keep the reviews coming, girl!! I FRIGGIN love 'em!

**Morggie85:** thanks for the long review! Woah, im impressed:p. Ok, so concerning the passage with Inui, Harumi wasn't really talking about Kenji. She was talking about that moment before the actual winter carnival, when Fuji asked her to go there with him. The moments Harumi was talking about were the two moments where Fuji had hugged her for x reason. the other moment is in the cafeteria, before the group went skiing. So it's like a reaaaally far away chapter. Omg, I so loved writing the Harumi / Eiji scene. And I loved writing their moments in this chapter as well. Hope you liked it!

**KikumaruLuv:** thanks for the review! But ano… please don't murder me in my sleep? Haha. Im glad you like my story, and yes, I see what you are talking about when you say there is a personality match between Harumi and Fuji. They do act in pretty similar ways sometimes, like the fact that they hide their emotions from others. Oops, sorry for any eventual grammar / spelling mistakes. I know I have plenty of them in my first chaps. I am actually editing those. But I hope I have less of them in my later chapters! The thing is that I don't always see them, even though I read the chapter twice. So… if you know someone who corrects fanfics, please tell me:p ! arigatou!

**Fuyu Hakumei:** roger that!! Update done! Hope you enjoyed it!!

**Akira Uchiha:** hey, thanks for taking interest in my fanfic! You got some pretty good ideas there, but by including the characters you mentioned, it will be harder to stick to my original storyline! I have every planned out! It's all written in my inui notebook, haha, so I can't really change stuff at this stage of the story!!! Hope you liked this chapter, then!!! Ja ne!

**PinkberrySodaa:** thanks for liking my story!! Im really really glad to hear it. Tezuka / Naoko is an interesting couple. Naoko being shy, she will probably not tell Tezuka of her feelings until the very end. But I think it will definitely happen! Fuji and Harumi… well, please do vote for them as a couple, then!! Thanks again:p


	22. Harumi's decision

**Harumi's decision**

An awkward silence hung its head upon the little storage room. Eiji was sitting against the door, while Harumi's back was pressed hard against a box of beer. She would not look at the boy sitting in front of her, even though it was dark around them. She knew that without that obscurity, he would surely see the crimson shades in her cheeks.

Her brain could simply not process what had come to pass a few minutes ago.

Eiji had kissed her. And she had let him.

But she was also the first one to pull away. She had felt as if she was doing something wrong, but couldn't figure out what it was until the image of Fuji had popped up in her head. She wanted to feel guilty, but then admonished herself.

_Fuji doesn't like me. We were not together to begin with. So, even if another boy touches me, it doesn't mean that I did anything wrong. _

However, she was confused. She didn't know why she hadn't pulled away sooner. Eiji was her best friend. She couldn't even conceive of him being her boyfriend. She didn't think of him that way. He was cute. He was fun, but she didn't feel _that_ way towards him.

Then… why was her heart pounding so hard every time she recalled the sensation of his lips on top of hers? She touched her mouth unconsciously, while a new whirlwind of emotions unfurled in her chest.

Eiji shifted slightly near the door. Harumi immediately tensed and looked at him, surveying his every move. She was afraid. She felt like a bird locked inside a cage.

"Since when?" She whispered. Her voice, however, sounded loud in the restricted space of the storage room.

Eiji slowly lifted his head. "Nani?"

"Since when… you… do you…" She couldn't bring herself to say the words. Eiji seemed to understand her meaning, but he didn't answer for awhile.

"I don't know. One day, I just realized that I…"

Harumi looked away. She wished he hadn't told her. How was she supposed to answer him? She didn't want to hurt him, like the way Fuji had hurt her.

However, she pondered that he would only be hurt if she told him "no" ; but, did she really want to tell him that?

"Stop torturing yourself with this, Harumi nya!" Eiji finally said in his usual voice.

"W…what?"

"I can almost see the gears of your brain turning at full power!"

"Now is not the time to be cracking jokes, you baka!"

"Ah… gomen."

Harumi felt blood rushing to her face. "Don't "gomen" me! What do you expect me to do after… after… that? Now, everything is changed! I don't even know if we can go back to what we had before!"

Eiji scratched his head. "Well… would you have preferred that I keep this forever to myself?"

"Well…no! Yes! I mean, you… you kissed me, for God's sake!"

Eiji stood up slowly and approached her. She turned sideways with apprehension, wondering if he was about to do it again. She didn't know what she would do if he would kiss her again. But one thing that left her confused more than anything else was the certainty that she couldn't push him away even if he did so.

Eiji did not touch her. He simply stood there and let his gaze rest upon her figure.

"Harumi, you… why did you let me?"

"I… I… I was caught up in the moment. I don't know. I… just…"

Suddenly, light surrounded them. It happened so fast, and it was so bright, that Harumi didn't even have time to shield her eyes from the light. She could see Eiji clearly for the first time since the beginning of the whole scene. Every detail of his body seemed to be engraving itself upon her pupils : the redness of his hair, the oval form of his eyes, the muscles in his chest.

She stood still, as if struck by lightning, and stared until she felt her eyes burning. At the same time, she could sense Eiji's gaze upon her own body. She could feel him watching her the same way that she watched him.

He was suddenly a stranger in her eyes. The Eiji in front of her was an Eiji she didn't know. A man's voice cut them off:

"Oi, what are you kids doing here?"

Seeing the redness in their cheeks, he arched an eyebrow and sighed. "The storage room is not for that kind of stuff! You have plenty of space around the pool! Please don't invade more territory!"

The poor man looked as if he was ready to pull his hair off. Harumi and Eiji both turned crimson.

"We were not… the door locked itself! What the hell happened?" Harumi yelled a little louder than she wanted to.

The waiter pointed a negligent finger towards the spot near the door, where Takasan laid, sound asleep.

"Don't know how that happened – he groaned – but when I came, this guy here was blocking the door because he was sleeping against it!"

"Mo! Takasan! This is entirely your fault! Wake up, idiot!"

She crouched beside him and shook him fiercely. However, the power house remained obstinately KO.

Harumi sighed and stood up. "I am not responsible for drunken people! Let him stay where he is!"

Eiji scratched his head. He felt detached from it all. The waiter murmured something else about "young people nowadays" and then went into the storage room.

Harumi made a move to walk away.

"Wait…" Eiji started.

"I need some time alone." She whispered, not slowing down.

Soon, she disappeared from his sight. Eiji, feeling his heart sink, wondered if he had done the right thing. Maybe he shouldn't have told her, after all.

Thinking back, he didn't even know why he said it. The moment seemed so right… and she was right there, hugging him. He had felt a warm sensation spread throughout his entire body, a sensation which had nothing to do with beer. He then just stopped thinking, stopped worrying about the future, and had let his heart speak.

He didn't have a habit of hiding his emotions, anyway. But at that time, it had felt as if these emotions were just rushing out of him, surprising even himself.

His legs started moving, but he didn't know where he should go from now on. He realized that he wasn't fully aware of these feelings he had for her before tonight. He knew they had been inside of him for a long time, but he was physically deaf to them… until tonight.

He knew things would be different now. He had pretended to be relaxed back there, in order to let Harumi relax a little bit as well, but the truth was that he had never been so anxious in his whole life. He had never thought about love before. He had considered it as a concept too troublesome and incomprehensible. But now… now, he wanted it. He wanted to be near that sensation, to be surrounded by it, to share it.

He had never loved anyone before, so maybe he would do a lame job with it, but he wanted to try nonetheless.

However, how would Harumi be feeling right now? She looked so confused when she had left him. He knew the reason, of course. After all, since the very start, every time she was anxious or troubled was because of _him_. Fuji Syusuke.

He didn't know what he felt towards his tensai friend anymore. Every time he thought about the light in Harumi's eyes when she talked about Fuji, he would get this burning feeling at the bottom of his stomach.

Jealousy.

He felt certain that if Harumi hadn't fallen in love with Fuji, things would be less complicated, for she would have one less thing to worry about. He didn't want her to feel torn. He even wished that her feelings for Fuji would just go away, since they hadn't provided her with anything but pain.

He knew he was selfish for wishing this. He knew he was a spoiled child who didn't have a habit of being denied what he wanted – and God knew that he had never wanted something so badly as to be with Harumi – but he couldn't help it.

Without noticing, he had gone out of the pool area and was now walking along a hallway. There was a dim light at the end of it. Eiji sighed and walked towards it ; he was surprised to find that he had arrived in the ballroom where they had danced and eaten a few hours ago. Now, it was empty.

The lights were gone. The stars on the ground had stopped twinkling. The magic had vanished. Right now, the room looked abandoned and forlorn. The only light was the one reflected off of the crystal tables.

Eiji saw a jar half filled with water lying on a nearby counter. He seized it and poured its content over his head, shuddering at the sudden cold sensation washing down his skin. He closed an eye and quickly shook his wet hair, like a cat.

Maybe it was a bad idea to ingest so much beer after all. However, he felt more alert now.

He was about to sit down at one of the tables when he suddenly spotted a dark silhouette sitting at the far end of the room, in the shadows. His good eyesight allowed him to easily recognize Fuji. The redhead marked a moment of hesitation before walking towards him.

Fuji greeted him with his usual smile and pulled out a chair for him to sit down. Eiji stopped beside him, towering him from above, wondering what he was doing there.

"Ah… so you wanted a moment away from the party as well, Eiji?" Fuji asked with a smile.

He was now wearing a large white t-shirt and cream short pants.

When Eiji didn't answer, Fuji seemed to scan him a little behind his closed eyes. "Well, why don't you sit down? I could use the company."

Eiji nodded rather stiffly, but complied with his demand. Fuji's smile faded. He had noticed that the redhead had been somewhat cold and distant these last couple of days. Maybe it was time to find out the reason.

"Is everything alright?" Fuji inquired kindly.

There was a short silence.

"Fuji, Eiji finally said, there is something that I want to ask you."

Fuji was surprised to spot the seriousness in these usually playful dark blue eyes. The matter did sound important, indeed.

"Go ahead." He answered.

"Why are you doing this to Harumi?"

Fuji's eyes opened slightly. Clear blue orbs stared at the redhead.

"What did you say?" Fuji slowly asked.

"You heard me, Fujiko! Why did you hurt her? Why are you still hurting her?"

Eiji's voice was unusually cold.

"What is this about? What are you talking about?" Fuji asked, suddenly cold, as well.

Eiji gritted his teeth. He was never good at keeping his calm. Unable to keep his voice even anymore, he exploded:

"Don't pretend that you have no idea what I'm talking about, Fujiko! Harumi told me. She told me everything, you know? How she shared her feelings with you, and how you pushed her away! I hope that you have a valid explication to give me for your behavior."

Fuji only looked at him, which increased his anger by a notch.

"You always cared for her, didn't you? Ever since she came, you would act different when you were around her. Everyone could see it! But now… now… what is the meaning of this? Why did you toss her feelings aside like they mean nothing to you?"

Fuji slowly crossed his fingers together. "Calm down."

A second later, Eiji was on his feet, gripping Fuji's shirt and jerking him to his feet as well. Fuji's surprised look didn't escape him.

"Answer me!" Eiji yelled.

Fuji pushed the redhead away from him, but not roughly. Eiji breathed deeply and then looked down at the floor. He hadn't meant to be violent, but he felt like he couldn't apologize to his friend right now. He couldn't apologize to Fuji. He didn't want to.

Fuji passed a weary hand through his hair.

"It is a long story, but I have my reasons. I don't expect you to understand, Eiji, but believe me when I say that this is for the best."

Eiji turned away. "The best? For who? Certainly not for Harumi. Have you looked at her lately, Fuji? Of course you haven't. And that's why you can't see how much she is hurting because of you."

Fuji's hand tightened on the edge of the table. "She may be sad now, but it will soon pass. She will forget me. This is for the best."

Eiji stared in disbelief. "I don't get it. Why can't you just return her feelings?"

There was no answer.

"What are you afraid of, Fuji?"

Clear blue eyes pierced through him. "I am not afraid. I simply know that I can't give her what she needs the most. If we are together, she will suffer even more. She deserves someone who can make her truly happy. That is why…"

Eiji looked away. "You can't be that person?"

Fuji closed his eyes and smiled. "No, I can't."

"Then you should probably tell her, you know? She is still waiting, still hoping. You haven't said anything to see since her confession, have you? Maybe it's time to get it over with."

Fuji seized the glass of the juice that he was drinking before, and put it near his lips.

"You are probably right, Eiji."

Eiji's eyes shone briefly in the dimly lit room. "And once you have done that, please take your distance for awhile."

"Eiji?"

"If there is one thing I hate, it is to see her suffer. And Fujiko, you are her main source of suffering right now. Once you have spoken to her, I will try to make her forget you, just as you wished."

Fuji's eyes flew open again as a sudden revelation washed through his mind. For a moment, he had to steady himself against the edge of the table.

"Eiji… don't tell me that…"

The intensity in the redhead's eyes made him unable to finish his sentence.

"Just make sure that you talk to her." Eiji said before walking away.

Fuji watched his retreating back, the wave of shock still not fully dispersed from his heart. He silently finished his thought : _"Don't tell me that you have fallen in love with her."_

He slowly sat down again and stared absent mindedly at the dark floor. A smile appeared on his lips, but didn't reach the rest of his face.

"Harumi-chan, there is someone who loves you without compromise. I'm glad."

He listened as Eiji's retreating footsteps slowly receded in the distance.

"This is for the best, after all."

The glass he was holding suddenly shattered in his hand. The liquid and the broken pieces fell to the floor and tinkled coldly in the deserted room.

* * *

Eiji wondered if Harumi would forgive him if she knew that he had broken his promise. 

Indeed, he had promised her, on their container, that he wouldn't interfere with Harumi's private life , but once again, he hadn't be able to help himself.

He was passing under the arch when someone approached him from behind and tapped him on the shoulder.

He turned around and was surprised to see Mai standing before him, a pale blue shawl thrown over her naked shoulders.

"Mai-chan, right?" He greeted her with a wide grin.

The girl nodded, her unchanging eyes scanning him disapprovingly from top to bottom. After all, Eiji was still only wearing his shorts.

"Have you seen my team?" She asked.

"Aren't they at the pool, nya?"

"They have all disappeared to I-don't-know-where. This party was a very bad idea. How can that boy Atobe bring alcohol into a party given to people still underage? I will have a word with him when Chiharu-san will be willing enough to let go of him for five minutes."

She eyed Eiji suspiciously. "I hope that you are not drunk, Kikumaru-kun?"

Eiji quickly waved a hand in front of her. "No way, no way! I'm as sober as one can be, nya! Look, there are three kitties in that painting over there on the wall! I'm not drunk, see?"

After all, it was pointless to tell her that he was less sober a couple of minutes ago. Mai sighed. "Well, since you are randomly walking around the mansion, you better use that time more efficiently and help me find the others."

"Okay! Roger that, girls' Buchou! We haven't been to the garden yet! Maybe they are there!"

"I hope you are right."

"I'm always right, nya!"

* * *

Fuji arrived at the now almost deserted pool, where some people were relaxing near the now calm waters. 

The tensai looked around, but didn't see anyone from Seigaku. He wondered briefly where everyone had gone to, before losing interest and sitting down by the edge of the pool. His reflection stared back at him from under the moving waters.

He stared at his face, at the façade that he had slowly built up over the years. It was fragile and weak at the beginning, but now it had evolved into a wall that even _he_ may not be able to break.

He slowly stood up and walked away from the pool. Some moments later, he arrived in front of a familiar place: it was Atobe's tennis courts. Lights shone upon the courts from the projectors overhead. The white lines delimiting the courts were strongly underlined under the harsh light.

Some people were practicing on the last courts, although not seriously. Fuji walked towards a shelf where rackets were hanging, and chose a good one with his expert eyes. The feeling of the racket against his palm soothed him somehow.

He dropped a yellow ball from his hand and sent it flying against a nearby wall. The ball bounced off the wall and was once more met by Fuji's racket.

The tensai was surprised to find himself relieved at the fact that he hadn't found Harumi yet. Maybe it was a bad idea to talk to her. He didn't really know how he should say these things to her. His mind wandered back to the moment when she had first confessed to him.

It was true that he was afraid back then, both for himself and for her. Ever since he came to Tokyo, he had wanted to banish all these incomprehensible feelings from his heart in order to focus on tennis. The bitterness of Sayuri's betrayal was not something that he wanted to taste ever again. He had come to think of feelings as foolish things, only good for young people who had spare time on their hands.

Therefore, he was careful not to let himself become attached to anything or anyone as deeply as he had been with Sayuri. Kindness and politeness were good enough in his life. However, ever since he had met Harumi, all his barriers were being crashed down one after the other.

At the beginning, it was just a feeling of simple pleasure when she was around. She was a good and cheerful girl. She could make him laugh while being unconscious of how funny she was. Little by little, he had come to anticipate these pleasant moments he could share with her. It was even less hard to truly smile when she was around.

He would even open up to her from time to time, something that he had thought would never happen again after he left Chiba. He had told her about his sister being sick; he had told her that he was afraid of the test results on his back when they were at the hospital.

The hospital.

So many things happened back there; things that changed everything between them forever. When Harumi had confessed to him, he had suddenly awakened from the dream he had been in for the last couple of months. As soon as the words had crossed her lips, the first thought that made way to his brain was whether he was dreaming.

He hadn't realized that he had come so close to her already, close enough for her to have this kind of feelings for him. What happened to his resolution of living without love? What happened to not letting his heart become chained to another person's?

He had then realized with alarm that the chain that already begun to take form. He could feel it, tugging at his chest, making his heart beat faster than usual every time he looked down into that appealing purple ocean that were her eyes.

He had been scared by how far he had let his heart become attached to hers. It was better to break the chain when it was still early.

He cherished her. She was something good in his life, but it was never meant to be this way. He wouldn't allow it. Knowing his own conviction also made him aware that she couldn't possibly be happy with him. Breaking the chain should be easy for him, but not so easy for her. It was best to do it quickly.

However, seeing her in tears had been a much more difficult sight than he had expected. He had been shocked by the feeling of emptiness that it had left him with after she had left his room. At least, he had told himself, he could draw some comfort from the fact that it was all over, now.

But he had been wrong. Everything had been far from over.

**Flash back**

The day's exercise program had been unusually painful. Fuji sat on the bench, sweat rolling down his cheeks to regularly drop down unto the floor. He let his arms rest on his knees as he tried to relax his back muscles like the instructor had told him to.

However, the pain wouldn't fade away. The nurse who had been taking care of him approached.

"Fuji-san, what's wrong?"

Fuji wiped the sweat from his brow and looked up with a strained smile. "Ah… I think I will call it a day."

"Demo…"

"Please."

The nurse sighed. "Fine. I will help you walk back to your room."

Fuji nodded and passed an arm over her shoulders. As he stood up, quick shots of pain soared from his lower back to his left leg. Fuji kept an even expression on his face until he was alone in his room.

He wondered when he would be able to walk normally again. At this rate, it still seemed like a far away goal.

The pain receded slowly in the early afternoon. As he watched absent-mindedly at the snow falling outside his window, he thought about how slowly time seemed to pass when one was lonely.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Fuji said distractedly.

The nurse opened the door and greeted him. "Fuji-san, you have a visitor."

For a moment, he sat up straight, ignoring his back's protests, as he wondered anxiously if it was Harumi. His subconscious screamed at him that after what he had done, she would never come to see him again. Fuji relaxed and sat back against his bed.

"Really? I wonder who it might be."

The nurse took a step into the room, allowing passage to a young girl with silver hair and aqua eyes. Fuji's eyes opened in recognition and in shock.

"Well, I will leave you two alone." The nurse said while departing with a wink.

Fuji stared at this unexpected visitor, too shocked to feel anything else but incomprehension and confusion.

"Hi, Syusuke." The girl said.

Her voice convinced him that there was no mistake.

"Yare, that shocked expression on your face must mean that you still remember me. I'm glad."

She took off her coat and sat down by his side.

"Sa… Sayuri." Fuji whispered, more to himself than to her.

"That's right."

Aqua eyes scanned him quickly.

"Well, apart from the new muscles, you haven't changed much."

Fuji forced his heart to slow down. He had to think clearly. Everything was happening too fast, and he wasn't ready for it.

"What are you doing here, Sayuri?" He asked, his voice not fully stable yet.

"My, is that a way to greet your girlfriend? No hug? No kiss?"

Fuji clasped his hands together. "You are not my girlfriend anymore. Sayuri, you stopped being so years ago."

Sayuri replaced a strand of silver hair behind her ear. "Well, you never officially broke up with me, remember? You went away without even saying goodbye."

Fuji's smile returned.

"I had nothing to say to you anymore. So, let me ask you again: what are you doing here?"

Sayuri eyed him with big eyes. "My, you are being so cold! This isn't the reunion scene that I expected to have."

Fuji stared at her with open eyes. He remembered these aqua eyes from when they were kids. He had been fascinated by them back then. Even now, he found it hard to look away.

"Will you answer my question?" He asked quietly.

Sayuri sighed. "I moved here to Tokyo a couple of weeks ago. My parents signed me up to Hyotei Academy. I didn't even know that you were in Tokyo until I heard some rich guy at our school talking about you and the Seigaku tennis club. I see that moving away hasn't changed your love for tennis."

Fuji smiled. "Maa… nothing would."

Sayuri continued. "I approached the rich guy, and asked him about you. He was being so arrogant and full of himself. After five minutes of babbling about how great he was, he finally deigned to tell me that you attended Seigaku. His girlfriend started talking about the incident that you were involved in, which led you to the hospital. My, Syusuke, you certainly weren't the kind of person to go and pick up a fight when we were kids."

She smiled and took his hand. "You've become strong."

Fuji took his hand back. "You, for one thing, haven't changed. Fighting is not a proof of strength."

"Then, why did you do it?" She asked curiously.

"Because…" He started and then stopped. He had almost said : "Because there was someone that I wanted to protect."

Instead, he looked outside the window and finished : "…the situation demanded it."

There was a moment of silence. Fuji felt uncomfortable being in the presence of the girl that he had tried so hard to forget. Now, she had moved to Tokyo and was back into his life. Fate was indeed a strange thing. After he had left Chiba, he had thought countless times about what would happen if he came face to face with Sayuri again. Maybe he would get angry and yell, maybe he would run in the opposite direction, maybe he would walk past her, indifferent.

Or maybe… he would forgive her.

None of these scenarios seemed right at that moment. He didn't love her anymore, or at least, that's what he told himself. How could he still love her after what she had done? Yet, the mind and the heart always contradicted each other. In his mind, he knew he should push her away, but what about his heart? He didn't know the answer to that.

Sayuri didn't seem as uncomfortable as he was. She looked around the room, and her aqua eyes suddenly stopped on an object laying on top of the night table.

"Syusuke, isn't that your flute?" She exclaimed.

Fuji threw a quick glance towards it. Yumiko had brought it to him three days ago, for she knew how much he cared for it.

"Yes, it is."

His eyes crossed those of Sayuri, and for a moment he remembered the time he had played for her. Uneasiness struck him.

"Maybe you should go, now." He said while directing his gaze towards the door.

Sayuri didn't seem to hear him as she took the instrument in her hands and turned it around to look at it from all angles. "Sugoi! It's the same one you had when we were together! You have been keeping it all this time? That's so cute!"

Fuji sighed. "It has nothing to do with you. I had it long before I knew you. Now, maybe you should get going before it's dark."

Sayuri smiled. "Not until you play something for me. Just one song! Pretty please?"

Fuji remained silent.

"It's been a long time. I just want to listen to it again."

Fuji took the flute from her. "Alright. But then, you will go, and it will happen that we won't meet again."

"Yare, Syusuke, you don't mean that, do you?"

Fuji put the flute near his lips. "Saa."

The first notes echoed around the room. Fuji closed his eyes and let his fingers dance at the rhythm of the melody. Somehow, it reminded him of the time he had played for his friends at Amaya's castle. He remembered the way Harumi had looked at him, as if she was under a spell. He remembered how he had felt when she had asked him for a second song.

But now, he would never play that second song for her.

The flute had always served as a channel for him to express the feelings he couldn't put into words. Without knowing it, his fingers' pace dropped, and the notes slowly entwined themselves to form a slow and sad tune.

It was beautiful, but chilly in its sadness and loneliness. Fuji didn't know that was what he had felt all along.

When the music finally stopped, Sayuri leaned close to him and said:

"That was beautiful, Syusuke."

Fuji slowly put down the flute, and brushed the holes that adorned the top side.

"Arigatou, Sayuri."

He smiled a sad smile.

"Demo, I see that you still don't understand anything about music. That melody was not beautiful."

**End of flash back**

The tennis ball rushed towards him at great speed; Fuji raised his racket and smashed it down to the corner of the wall, where it twisted briefly around itself before coming to a halt.

Fuji unconsciously scratched the strings of his racket as he turned around to leave. He still didn't know where he should go from here.

Romantic people would say : "listen to your heart." But his heart was a place that he couldn't reach, and was afraid to reach.

Practical people would say : "Use your head." But there was nothing but confusion in his mind.

Fuji only had one thing left: his instinct. It was telling him to go and talk to her, because he owed her at least an explanation. He knew Harumi had seen him with Sayuri at the dance, so hiding that fact was impossible.

Maybe he could tell her everything about Sayuri and himself. Maybe she could see more clearly and help him understand. Maybe he should apologize.

He had to find her, and there was only one place that he hadn't been to, yet.

* * *

Harumi didn't feel as sober as she'd like to. In fact, she was totally and utterly drunk. She staggered slightly as she walked through Atobe's back garden, barely able to see the décor surrounding her. 

She didn't know how she got there. She didn't see anyone she recognized. Maybe she should look for the bedroom instead, but she felt that she couldn't stand anymore.

An object looking like a bench entered her field of view. She waddled towards it and sat down abruptly. The cold on her legs made her gasp a little, making the fog in her mind lift up somewhat. She looked around her and wondered if she was dreaming.

There were flowers in the garden, millions of flowers. There were trees as well, still carrying all their leaves. However, every petal, every leaf was frozen under a thin layer of transparent ice. It was as if time had stopped flowing, as if life was held in suspense, waiting for the first ray of sunlight to melt the ice away.

There were fountains scattered among the flowers as well. A thin layer of ice clothed the proud figures at the top of them ; streams of water had been brought to a halt in space, as if they had been frozen while still falling down.

It was as if a spell had been cast over the entire place. Harumi had the impression that she was wandering in the heart of a fairytale.

She barely felt the cold stinging at her bare arms and legs; she looked around her once more and hoped that time could stop for her as well.

And then, from the icy path in front of her, she saw someone coming.

_Maybe it's the Prince of the fairytale. Maybe he has come to deliver the princess from her slumber. Maybe as she wakes up, the ice will melt and life will flow back into every tree and flower. _

"Harumi-chan."

"Fuji."

The tensai came to a halt before her.

"I thought that you would be here."

"There is nowhere else to go." She answered.

"May I sit down?"

Harumi raised her head and saw that familiar smile. Her head was swirling once more.

"What do you want from me, Fuji?"

Fuji slowly opened his eyes. "I want to talk. I think I owe you that, after… your confession."

Harumi rubbed her eyes. "I've told you that it was meaningless."

Fuji crouched in front of her. "Don't lie."

Harumi startled, then smiled. "Yes, how could I forget? I can't trick the master. I have learned it from you, after all."

Fuji tensed. He tried to look into her eyes, but she avoided him.

"I'm sorry, he said, I'm sorry for having hurt you."

Harumi didn't answer.

"I… there is this thing that I want to tell you. The girl tonight at the dance, her name is…"

"Sayuri, she completed. She is from Chiba. She was your girlfriend. I know all that, Fuji."

Fuji startled, and collected himself. "As expected from you."

Harumi finally looked into his eyes, and what he read in them made him stand up and back away a little. Harumi looked as if she had expected that reaction. She slowly stood up as well and put a hand on his forearm.

"This is your chance at tying the knot again with her, Fuji. Don't let this chance go to waste."

Fuji only stared at her. "Aren't you going to listen to what I have to say?"

"I could, but would it change anything?" She smiled reassuringly. "I don't mind, Fuji, really. If you still have feelings for her, you shouldn't be scared of them."

"How about… your feelings?"

"If you mean my confession, I have already told you that it was meaningless. I got carried away. I was caught in the moment. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."

She closed her eyes and leaned her head a little against his chest before walking past him.

"Sayonara, Fuji." She whispered softly.

Fuji stared at the icy flower in front of him, panic rising in his chest at her every fading footstep. Suddenly, his legs came back to life again as he caught up with her and closed his hand on her forearm to jerk her to a halt.

"You don't mean it!"

After some time, Harumi turned slightly towards him. "What is that expression for, Fuji? Please don't act as if you have feelings for me. Please don't make it harder for me. Just… let me go."

"What you said at the hospital, you meant it!" Fuji said, not letting her go.

Harumi turned towards him fully. "You… Was it important to you?"

Fuji was speechless. There it was again, that absurd fear in his chest. Seeing his hesitation, Harumi smiled sadly. "I thought so."

She tried to break free from his grip, but he wouldn't let her. It was painful to be so close to him. So painful.

"Eiji kissed me today." She whispered.

She didn't need to look at him to know that he was shocked.

"And I didn't really mind. No… I… even liked it. So, go with Sayuri and be happy! Don't worry about me, I will be fine!"

A second and an eternity passed before Fuji slowly loosened his grip on her arm.

She walked away as fast as she could, a hand over her mouth, her sight blurry from her ceaseless tears. She tried to suppress her sobs so hard that she thought she was going to choke.

_It's for the best. I know that it's for the best. If Fuji loves Sayuri, I won't get in the way. _

_I won't get in the way._

Fuji stood there in the frozen garden.

Even when she had disappeared behind the doors, he still looked in the direction in which she had vanished, maybe too stupefied to move.

Maybe hoping she would change her mind.

Maybe crying.

* * *

Hey everyone!! Thanks to all those who voted for your favorite couple. 

Like I said, that won't necessarily influence the course of the story. It is just a personal thing for me to have!

I know it's hard for most of you, but I'm actually happy that you are in this dilemma, cause it means that I've managed to make you share a little bit of my own dilemma over these two great characters!!!

Now, let me say a big THANK YOU to all the reviewers!!! 30 reviews for the last chapter!! Woah… I'm really really impressed and proud and happy and beyond words of gratitude. That's like the record in my short career as a fanfiction writer, haha.

Hum, on a more serious tone, I have bad news for you. My second round of exams is coming up next week, and so it may take me two weeks to write the next chapter, just like last time. I hope you won't die from it, haha! But I promise that when it comes, you won't be disappointed!!

There are still interesting things to happen in this fic before the end!!

Once again, thank you everyone!! And take care:p


	23. New relationships

**New relationships**

Cream colored ceiling.

That was the only thing she stared at for a couple of minutes after opening her eyes. For once, nothing was running through her mind: no anxiety, no worries, no happiness. Nothing.

Everything was blank and inexistent except for the alternating cream-white patterns on the ceiling above her face.

She could feel a thick and mellow mattress underneath her body. She grabbed a handful of the material that composed the blanket and slowly imprinted that sensation into her mind. Slowly, she shifted around and held her pillow close to her chest.

"Where am I?" She whispered.

She thought that she was alone in the room until a discreet movement behind her back made her startle. Sitting up too abruptly caused her head to spin like a ball; however, she was more interested in knowing the identity of the trespasser than worrying about her own state.

"Who is there?" She called out with a certain degree of dread.

She felt uneasiness at the bottom of her stomach, but couldn't put her finger on the reason causing it.

No one answered her. The room was apparently empty. Her bed occupied the quarter of it. It was by no means a bed destined for one single person. After a quick calculation, Harumi came to the conclusion that it could be used by no less than four or five people at the same time.

The noise repeated itself. It was as if a small engine were purring. Harumi slowly crawled till the edge of the bed and peeked underneath the blankets. Her mouth fell wide open as she saw Aika curled up on the floor beside the bed, with part of the blanket wrapped around her body. She was snoring softly, and that was the noise that Harumi had picked up.

The girl with purple eyes sighed and massaged her temples with her hands.

She had a terrible headache going on.

Aika whined and slowly opened one eye. As light passed through her brown pupil, she grimaced and hid her face under the blanket.

"Aika-chan? – Harumi groaned while pushing her with her foot – what the hell are you doing on my bedroom floor?"

Aika's head reluctantly resurfaced from under the blanket.

"Yamazaki, I was just about to ask you that same question." Brown eyes glared dangerously in Harumi's direction.

"You mean… this is your bedroom?" Suddenly, panic was rising in Harumi's chest. She couldn't, for the sake of her, remember how she had gotten into that room in the first place. Maybe she had sleepwalked and trespassed without even knowing it?

Aika pressed her thumb against her left temple and walked into the bathroom without answering.

Harumi wondered for a moment where her headache came from. It was probably a side effect of all the alcohol she had ingested the night before.

_That's right… I was drinking last night. Oh crap, oh holy crap. I'm still underage and I was drinking. What was I thinking? Oh God, please don't tell me that I did something bad while under the influence of alcohol! _

A flashback of someone's lips on top of hers made her heart startle.

_Eiji… oh my God… Eiji… he… kissed me._

Her headache was gradually getting worse. She stumbled out of bed and realized that she was still wearing her two piece bathing suit under a large t-shirt that wasn't hers.

The t-shirt looked like a guy's t-shirt. Harumi's eyes widened as she realized she had no idea who it belonged to.

_Fuji? _

That name made her dizzy. When Aika came out of the bathroom, Harumi ran inside and bent over the sink, feeling nauseous. However, nothing came out of her mouth. She panted and then slipped to the ground. She had never felt so awful in her entire life.

The bathroom floor was cold. As she lied on top of it, the ceiling slowly swirled above her head.

"Yamazaki?"

She blinked at Aika's voice as the small girl banged on the door.

"Yamazaki, you have been there for ten minutes already! I still need the bathroom, so come out right now, idiot!"

Harumi heaved herself up over the sink and splashed water over her face. With her wet hands, she grabbed the t-shirt she was wearing. It was blue.

She tried to remember who was wearing a blue t-shirt, but her headache hindered her from further brain work.

She came out, barely seeing Aika's infuriated face. As the small brunette locked herself up in the bathroom once more, Harumi sank on her bed and tried to forget her nausea. Pulling the t-shirt close to her nose, she tried to recognize the smell that it hopefully carried. The smell did seem familiar.

_Fuji?_

She banged her head on the wall and wished that name would stop popping up in her mind. Somehow, thinking about the tensai made her sad. It had always made her sad since he had rejected her confession, but now her sadness came from a different source.

She tried to remember what had happened the night before. Bit by bit, the pieces of her exchange with the tensai fell in place inside her head. Slowly, her eyes widened as unconscious tears wet her pillow.

_What have I done? What did I say to him? Did I really walk away from him, or was it just a nightmare?_

For a moment, these thoughts seemed too absurd to be true.

_Of course that it was nightmare! How could I ever walk away from him? I know myself. I know my weakness. What reason do I have for saying that to him? It's all a lie. _

However, the memories were too vivid for it all to be a dream. She knew that it was pointless to lie to herself. She had truly said those things to Fuji.

Now, it was over for good, and she only had herself to blame.

"Fuji, what did I do? I wish I could take it all back."

She realized faintly that she was shaking and that the pillow was soaked with her tears.

The memory of the conversation she had overheard during the dance came back as well. She remembered the reason that had pushed her to let him go.

_That girl… Sayuri… was begging him for a second chance. If I were in her position, I'd like Fuji to give me a second chance as well. I must not interfere. I must not be a burden for him. If I really… if I really love him, then I have to think about him first. I have to think about his own happiness. _

She tried to smile.

_That's right. If he's happy, then I'm happy too, right? Yes, I did the right thing, after all. Then what are these tears for? I'm so pathetic. Why am I crying?_

She quickly dried her tears as Aika was coming out of the bathroom. If Aika noticed Harumi's red eyes, she didn't comment on it. Harumi didn't comment on Aika's pale face either.

A knock on the door made both of them startle.

"What?" Aika yelled in an impatient voice.

"Aika? It's me, Amaya."

Aika sighed and went to open the door. Amaya didn't look at her best either as she sank on the bed beside Harumi.

"Ita, ita, my head is killing me."

"Not you too?" Harumi whispered.

"Welcome to the club." Aika groaned while sitting down with them.

Amaya took Harumi's hands in hers and seriously asked. "I didn't do anything inappropriate last night, did I?"

"It's useless to ask me. I was as drunk as you were. Probably more."

Amaya sighed. She was probably thinking that it was better that way.

"However, Harumi continued, before I completely lost my mind, I do remember seeing you act in a very intimate way with Oishi."

Amaya's cheeks turned crimson. "Ha-ha, very funny, Harumi."

"Yes. If I were joking."

Amaya whined and clamped her head between her two hands. "What… what kind of things?"

"Enough! No details, please!" Aika yelled. "You are gonna make me puke again with your little games. I'm sick of it all."

Amaya eyed their friend. "Now, what's up with you?"

"No-thing." Her dark glare deflected Amaya's further questioning.

After some time of silence, Aika stood up and threw a coat over her shoulders before walking out of the room.

"What happened to Aika?" Amaya asked.

Harumi shook her head. "Saa."

"But more importantly, what's wrong with you, Harumi?"

"N…nani? Me? What are you talking about?"

"You were crying."

It wasn't a question. Harumi couldn't go against that. She rolled on her belly and buried her face in her pillow.

"I… I think I did a terrible thing."

"Now, it can't be worse than me doing stuff with Oishi in front of everybody."

"It is."

Harumi bit her tongue.

"Well?" Amaya encouraged her.

Harumi shook her head. "I don't even know how to say it. Please don't take it personally, Amaya. I would tell you if I could, but…"

Amaya closed her eyes.

"It's okay, Harumi. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Your life is yours, after all. It's private."

Her eyes became serious. "However, promise me that if you want to open up, you will come to me."

Harumi tensed. "What…"

"Just listen for now, please. I need to feel like I am still your friend, Harumi. I want to help you when you need it the most, but I can't do that if you don't tell me anything. I understand for the confession thing. You were too hurt to talk about it. But maybe it could have helped if someone was there to listen to you. I was really hurt when I realized that you wouldn't even trust me enough to let me share that burden with you."

"A-Amaya."

Amaya smiled. "Don't make that face. I forgave you, of course. But next time, I promise that I won't go easy on you if you hide away from me like that again. Got it?"

Harumi looked away and nodded.

"Perfect. Now, let's go find Chiharu and ask for some Advil."

Harumi nodded again and got out of bed. Amaya frowned. "Oi, isn't that Kikumaru's t-shirt you are wearing?"

Harumi froze until she thought she had become a statue of ice.

_So… I was right. It is Eiji's t-shirt after all._

"Ah… yes… well… see…"

She was interrupted, much to her relief, by a knock on the door.

"Yes?" She eagerly said.

However, her enthusiasm quickly fell to zero when she saw who stepped into the room.

"Ohayo, Amaya-chan! – Eiji's voice boomed inside the room, causing the effect of a hammer on the girls' sensible heads.

When his eyes met those of Harumi, he instantly blushed.

"And Ohayo, Harumi." He mumbled to the floor.

"Keep it down, Kikumaru!" Amaya squeaked.

Eiji cocked his head a little and looked at them with incomprehension. "What's wrong, nya?"

"I said to keep it down! Geez, you are so noisy in the morning!"

Harumi's voice was stuck inside her throat. Heat climbed up her body to reach her face.

"Well, her friend pursued, we were just talking about you, Kikumaru. What is your…"

"Eiji! Good timing!" Harumi cried out in an overly merry voice, cutting her friend off.

Keeping a broad smile on her face, she seized the redhead by the collar of his night-shirt and pulled him out of the room. "A quick word with you, if you may. Amaya, I will be right back."

* * *

Harumi kept her hold on Eiji's wrist as they both ran silently along the empty hallways of the mansion. 

"Ano… Harumi-chan… where… ita, ita!!"

Eiji closed his mouth as Harumi's hold tightened on his wrist until it was painful. She obviously wanted him to keep it low. Eiji sighed inwardly and followed her, barely knowing where they were going.

After a couple of turns that probably got themselves lost, Harumi finally stopped and released Eiji's wrist. She took support on the nearby wall and struggled to regain her breath. Her headache was pounding against her temples at every heart beat.

"So… are you feeling okay, nya?" Eiji asked after some time.

Harumi turned around and pressed a hand to his chest and made his back meet the wall.

"Baka! What were you thinking, coming into our room like that?"

Eiji sulked. "Demo, you gave me permission, remember?"

Harumi rubbed her temples. "Right. But why did you knock in the first place? What do you want? What happened last night? What else did you make me do?"

Eiji chuckled, and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Calm down a little, nya."

Harumi grabbed the t-shirt she was wearing and took it off from above her head. "What is this doing on me, Eiji? I don't remember you giving it to me."

Eiji scratched his head uncertainly. "Really? You looked really tired when I found you near the tennis courts last night. You probably didn't know where you were anymore. And you were shivering, so I just lent you the t-shirt I was wearing to cover yourself up a little, nya."

Eiji's eyes smiled somehow as he said that.

Harumi passed a weary hand through her messy hair.

"And then?"

"And then, I led you to this wing where the guest rooms were."

"R-really? So… that's what happened, huh?"

Eiji smiled and gently pushed the t-shirt back into her hands. "Wear it for a little longer until you find your own clothes, or you will catch a cold, nya."

Harumi avoided his gaze and squeezed the blue t-shirt against her chest.

When she finally dared to look at him again, she saw with a shock that he was blushing. He turned away a little from her while she slowly put on the t-shirt again.

"Well, we should go, the redhead said, there will be a super breakfast downstairs, and then the party will be over!"

Harumi hesitated before nodding, her heart pounding hard in her chest. She opted to just silently follow him. After a while, he paused and turned back to look at her. There was uneasiness at the bottom of those dark blue eyes.

"Ano… - he started – you know… for last night… gomen neh!"

Harumi startled and then blushed. "It's alright."

Eiji nervously played with the edge of his shirt. "No… really… gomen neh! You must have felt weird." He smiled shyly. "I can't believe all the things I said, nya…"

Harumi blushed even more. "It's okay, Eiji. I… I… am not blameless either. I shouldn't have drunken that much. I… am really sorry."

Eiji brushed his nose with his forefinger. "If you want, let's forget about the whole thing, okay?"

To forget.

It was a painful and yet soothing word. It was the hardest and the easiest thing to do. There were some things, some scars, that even all eternity could not erase. Covering it up with a new future was all one could do. Harumi was aware of that. She was aware that some things were meant to be forgotten, if she wanted to make a bearable life for herself.

She looked at the boy standing in front of her, the boy who had been courageous enough to lay his feelings out for her, to let himself be vulnerable to her.

"Eiji… - she said with a shy smile – I don't mind… really."

Eiji stared at her. "W-what do you mean?"

"Well… ano… I don't really mind what you said to me."

Eiji looked at her, with something like hope in his oval eyes. Harumi slowly put a hand over her chest.

"Maa, Eiji, don't look at me like that!"

"Like what?"

"Like… that." She blushed.

"Gomen neh."

"No. I…" She seemed to want to say something, and then paused. After gathering some more courage, she pursued : "I'm glad you told me, because… I care about you too."

She smiled. "I love you too, Eiji."

Eiji watched her for a moment, as if unable to believe his ears. Speechless, spell-bound, he just stood there and stared, and stared, wondering if his ears were playing tricks on him ; wondering if this was a dream. If it were, then he never wanted to wake up from it.

Harumi looked away, and then groaned : "Well, say something!"

Eiji swallowed. "N… nya?"

Harumi stared. "Nya? That's all you have to say about it?"

Eiji pinched himself, and then stepped on his own foot. "Nya? I'm not dreaming?"

Harumi felt a vein pulsing on her forehead. She had never imagined that the first time she'd reciprocate someone's feelings would be like that. Eiji's reaction totally destroyed the romanticism behind the scenes. She sighed.

"Do you want me to repeat the words, baka?"

Eiji's eyes suddenly sparkled with such happiness that Harumi felt as if being pierced by a blinding sun. A second later, she was locked into his fierce embrace. Eiji was rambling happily in her ear that even in his wildest dreams he wouldn't have thought this could come to pass. Harumi let out a forgiving sigh and put her hands around him as well.

She let a serene smile float for a moment on her lips. Eiji's proximity reminded her of the kiss they had shared the night before. Her heart started pounding once more. It was time to let go of the bitterness. A better future was looking down upon her; she would be a fool if she neglected such a sincere love.

_I love you too, Eiji. _

"Come now! Let's go eat! The last one to arrive at the dining room is a spaghetti, nya!" Eiji said while letting go of her.

Harumi sweatdropped. "Why a spaghetti?"

"Saa, nah!" Eiji answered while running away already.

Harumi laughed. "Matte, Eiji! You cheater! Be more considerate of someone who has a headache! I can't run!"

"Spaghetti!" Eiji shouted back at her.

Harumi gritted her teeth. She would ask for a Advil later, but she really couldn't lose this race against such a dumby. They ran noisily along the hallways, until the stairs finally came into view. For the first time, as she ran behind Eiji and laughed with him, Harumi felt happy once more.

They passed by Mai Buchou in a flash, who was standing at the foot of the stairs.

Mai watched their retreating backs with a disapproving glare. Her pupils widened a little when she recognized the t-shirt that Harumi was wearing.

"Kikumaru-kun…" She whispered.

* * *

"Oni-chan, give it back immediately!!!!" Harumi yelled at the top of her lungs. 

Katsuo stuck out his tongue at her and ran away with her toothbrush. Harumi felt a vein pulse on her forehead.

"ONI-CHAN! Just how immature can you get? I CAN'T believe that you are one year older than me!"

"Well, that's why I run faster than you! Catch me if you can!"

Harumi threw her alarm clock at him and missed his head by mere inches.

"D-dangerous!" Katsuo muttered with faked fright.

Harumi's purple eyes shimmered as she slowly folded up the sleeves of her pajama.

"Oops, neechan is serious now!" Katsuo mumbled to himself.

He turned around to run away, but instead knocked himself KO over his father's iron arm. Touya Yamazaki picked up the young girl's toothbrush and threw it at her. Harumi caught it with one hand and locked herself in the bathroom, not without mumbling a "thanks otousan" first. It was the same thing every morning. Katsuo just HAD to cause an immature riot before leaving for school. That was why Harumi was always late for her first class. Now everyone knew that it wasn't her fault.

While she was brushing her teeth, her mother came out of the bedroom, yawning.

"What's up again with them?"

"Katsuo here was picking on his sister again." The dad said while pushing the boy around with his foot.

Katsuo woke up and quickly scrambled to his feet. "Ita, otousan, how am I supposed to go to school with a bump the size of an apple on my forehead?"

"You will bear with it, you ungrateful son!"

"How am I ungrateful?" He mumbled dangerously.

"I've raised you for sixteen years, and yet you disturb your mother and MY sleep with your incessant foolishness every morning! Ungratefulness to the highest degree!"

The dad crossed his arms and stared at him. Katsuo looked at him from the corner of his eye and then walked away. "Yeah… right… I wonder who I got that from."

Yuki chuckled slightly behind her hand. "My… he does have a point there!"

"Naaani? – Touya stormed with disbelief – how was I like ever like him? I was a quiet and obedient son when I was his age!"

Yuki chuckled again. "Yeah, sure."

She went into the kitchen. "Well, don't punish him too harshly. It's good that the house is noisy once more. It seems that Harumi returned to normal, as well. Yokatta."

"You get a point there, woman! Well, as punishment, he will just have to do the dishes for one week."

In the meantime, Harumi quickly got dressed and prepared his school bag. She sprinted downstairs, grabbed her bento, stuffed a slice of bread into her mouth and put on her coat.

Near the main entrance, Katsuo stuck out a foot to make her trip, but Harumi jumped over it without even looking at him.

"I will get going, then!" She yelled back to her parents.

"Be safe!" Her mother answered with a smile.

"Huh? Why are you in such a hurry? You still have half an hour left before class!" Katsuo asked with a suspicious frown.

"None of your business, stupid." Harumi answered before shutting the door in his nose.

She ran swiftly along the almost empty sidewalks. Soon, her house was out of view. Harumi sprinted past many intersections, passed above the bridge over the river, and started to climb up the slope leading to Seigaku. Halfway there, she spotted a figure leaning against the wall.

"Eiji!" She called.

To her dismay, he didn't even look in her direction.

_Maa, I know that I'm late, but that's not a reason for ignoring me. Geez._

"KIKUMARU EIJI!" She yelled in his face after arriving at his level.

Eiji slowly opened one eye and scanned her panting figure standing one meter away from him. He leisurely turned off his iPod and yawned.

"Naaani? It's only you, Harumi? You are super late."

Harumi crossed her arms. "I'm sorry, okay? No, wait, why am I apologizing? I'm totally blameless. My stupid brother stole my toothbrush."

Eiji's eyes became serious. "High crime!"

"Yeah, totally! A person's toothbrush is private! You can't just take it and… run around the house with it! Imagine the number of bacteria that would get stuck to it! Geez, now that I think about it, I can't believe I still used it!"

Eiji nodded fervently. "Hoi. Hoi! But a higher crime is to steal one's favorite toothpaste, nya! That's totally unforgivable. My sister always does that! And then she says she will buy me a new one, but she always forgets. She owes me at least a box of toothpastes by now, nya."

Harumi nodded fervently.

"Family…" They sighed at the same time. Then, they laughed.

* * *

"Yo! Yo! Naoko, look at that!" 

Naoki whispered furiously in her sister's ear. Naoko's gaze didn't shift away from Tezuka working with free weights.

"Nani? What can possibly be more entertaining than seeing those muscles rolling? Oh my God, my Tezuka-sama is even hotter when he works out. We don't get to see him work out that often. During summer, he goes God-knows-where in order to get that body of his in shape."

An evil grin crossed her face. "But in winter he has nowhere to escape to. The school gym is the most practical facility. He can't escape from me anymore! So, now that I finally get to see him in action, you want my eyes to look elsewhere? Are you insane, Naoki?"

Naoki slapped her sister's head and bluntly made her face rotate away from the Buchou. Naoko squealed and protested, but Naoki wasn't in the mood to give in to her sister's whim, for once.

"Naoko, look there, and I swear that you won't regret it."

Naoko reluctantly looked towards the cardio machines, where Chiharu and Amaya were running.

"Yeah, what? There's nothing interesting over there!"

"Behind the treadmills, baka! Look! Kikumaru and Harumi!"

Naoko shifted slightly and looked again. Harumi and Eiji were talking about something. So far, nothing was wrong. Everyone knew they were close friends. However, on that day, something seemed different in the way they looked at each other and smiled at each other.

Naoko frowned. "Alright… they are talking instead of working out. So what? Geez, Naoki, leave me alone already."

Naoki's hawk-like eyes didn't leave them for one single second. Suddenly, she cried out: "Look! Look!"

It was quick and faint, but Naoko had time to catch it.

"Alright, what did I just see? Did Eiji just brush her cheek? What the hell?"

Naoki crossed her arms in triumph. "Exactly! What the hell? There's something fishy going on between those two! Ever since Atobe's party, they have been spending too much time together. They do everything together: homework, workout sessions. They walk home together, they come to school together. On weekends, they sometimes see each other in the city."

Naoko sweatdropped. "Sister, don't take this personally but… it definitely looks like you are stalking them."

"Naoko, you know fairly well that I'm just on observation duty here! Seriously, think with me, Naoko! Let our twin instincts guide us towards the truth! What does this mean? Don't they look suspiciously like… a couple?"

Naoko winced at the word "couple". Now that her sister had mentioned it, she did begin to recognize the signs as well. Tezuka momentarily forgotten, she whispered :

"Well, it wouldn't make any sense, right? I mean… it's no secret that Harumi has a crush on Fuji. Did you see how depressed she was after he rejected her confession?"

"I did warn her, though…"

"Yes, yes, sister, but that's not the point."

"I know, I know. The point is that she can't possibly be with Kikumaru."

"Exactly."

"So… what was that thing we just saw? It can't be imaginary since we both detected it, right?"

Naoki pondered the problem for a moment, her gaze regularly shifting from Kikumaru and Harumi, to Fuji, practicing tennis against the wall of the gym.

"Well… actually… it does make some sense." Naoki slowly said.

"Really? How?"

"Think about it this way, Naoko. If you were in Harumi's place, you wouldn't want to live with the pain of the rejection forever, right? If she gets into a relationship with Kikumaru, then it means that she has moved on."

"Ano… that sounds plausible. But… wow, I didn't know Kikumaru was interested in that kind of stuff… I mean… he still looks and behaves like a child!"

Naoki eyed the redhead. "Oh, he's definitely grown up! Don't misjudge him anymore."

"Then… what about Buchou?"

Naoki sighed. "Well, I have a feeling this is going to get complicated. I know that Mai Buchou has liked Kikumaru since like forever. I don't know how she is going to react when she learns this."

"This could be bad for Harumi. Buchou can be pretty dangerous."

"You don't need to tell me that."

"And what about Fuji? Can you believe that he is just going to let her go?"

"We all know he is cold hearted. He has probably forgotten her already. After all, we all know that his ex showed up, right? He's probably thinking of getting back together with her. It's obvious that he loved her all along, or else he wouldn't have hurt my friend and Harumi."

"Maa, you are being tough on him, sister."

"I'm just stating the truth. Fuji is too dense, period. Sometimes when you talk to him, you feel like you are talking to a smiling wall, or something. No one can get to him except maybe for that Sayuri girl."

Naoko clasped her hands together. "Let's tell the others! I bet they are gonna fall over their heads when they hear this!"

Naoki smirked. She liked to give shocking news to her friends. It always made her feel so satisfied.

"Let's go, Naoko!"

* * *

"Harumi, this is not true, right?" 

Harumi raised her head from the Japanese book she was reading, only to stare into Amaya's worried eyes. The girls were studying in the library, and Amaya had just learned from her friend her new relationship with Eiji.

"Why do you say that, Amaya? If I tell you so, then of course it's true, silly!"

Harumi's attempt to lighten the atmosphere failed miserably, for Amaya didn't even smile.

"But… Harumi, I don't understand."

"What is it that is so hard to grasp? I am dating Kikumaru Eiji. It's pretty simple, actually."

"But what happened to… does Fuji know this?"

Harumi dived into the book once more. "Well, I assume that he does, since everyone else knows about it."

"And… you are okay with that? I can't believe it. I thought that you… loved Fuji?"

Harumi sighed and put down her book. "Amaya, you saw what good my love for him did me. I even confessed to him, for God's sake, and he seemed barely moved by it."

"And so now you are getting together with Eiji in order to get your revenge?"

"What the hell are you talking about? Revenge? How did that word sneak into the conversation? Eiji loves me, Amaya. I know it's hard to picture, but please make an effort. And it happens that I realized that I love him too. There is nothing complicated in that."

"So what happened to your feelings for Fuji? You will never make me believe that they disappeared just like that!"

"Of course not! It's hard to forget someone you have loved so much."

Her purple eyes dimmed for an instant. "But I have to. I've been caged in my suffering for so long that… now I just long for some freedom. At last. It feels like home when I'm with Eiji. I realized that he has always made me feel that way. And I like this feeling. Being around Fuji had always made me feel weak inside, but being with Eiji makes me feel strong and warm. It's… hard to describe."

Amaya sighed, and then took her hand.

"Harumi, you have to be sure about this. You do realize that if you are not into this relationship, then he is going to end up hurt, right? Are you sure you love him as much as he loves you?"

"W-what are all these questions? I'm happy with Eiji, okay?"

"Because this is really sudden! It's like… all of a sudden you have shifted your feelings from Fuji to Eiji."

Harumi thought about it for awhile; then, she smiled softly.

"Amaya, I can see why you are worried, but please don't be afraid anymore. I'm not using Eiji as a replacement, if that is what you are thinking. I'm not that kind of person. I still love Fuji a little. I won't hide that fact from you. But Eiji is really important to me too, and I will never ever hurt him. I know that little by little he will help me to get over Fuji completely. My relationship with Fuji was doomed to fail in the first place. I see that clearly now."

She stared out the window. "But when I see ahead into the future with Eiji, I can see nothing that will go wrong. I can be happy with him. I am sure of it."

Amaya let her breath out, slowly. A kind smile spread across her face. "Well, if you are sure, then I respect your decision, and I'm happy for you. Kikumaru is Oishi's best friend, so that will make us even closer, neh?"

Harumi smiled. "Yes, you are right!"

* * *

"Ah, Amaya! Don't you think that it's getting warmer?" 

"Yes, you are right! The snow from last night is already beginning to melt!"

Amaya and Harumi were walking down the street in downtown. They had planned some shopping for the day in order to buy some new clothes for the spring.

"I don't think that it's going to snow again. Actually, this much snow in one winter is already unusual."

Harumi stepped on a puddle of half melted ice. "Yeah, and we are at the end of March already. It should start getting warmer."

Amaya ran into a store. "Oi, Harumi, look at this teddy! Isn't it adorable?"

Harumi stared at the little bunny with long ears sitting on the shelf, softly smiling back at them.

Amaya squeezed it against her chest. "It's adorable! I think I'm going to buy it! Don't you want one too?"

"Ah… no, I will pass. I'm not into teddy bears anymore."

Her mind wandered towards the giant bunny still sitting in her room. She would still talk to it, occasionally. She would still call it Syu-kun, occasionally. She quickly commanded her mind to come back to the present.

"I will take a look at the rest of the store while you pay for it! Take your time!"

She put her hands in her pockets and slowly walked down the aisles, looking at the different cute objects put there on display.

A necklace attracted her attention, and as she looked at it, something outside the store window caught her attention.

Fuji and Sayuri were walking down the street. Sayuri had her hand on Fuji's arm, as she pointed towards something on another store's display window.

_So… they got together… huh?_

She smiled to herself. She was happy for them. For him. That was how things were supposed to be. Fuji with Sayuri ; her with Eiji. Things were supposed to be this way, from the beginning.

A tap to her shoulder made her startle. She expected to see Amaya, but met the stern eyes of Mai Buchou instead.

"B-buchou? W-what a surprise! Are you doing some shopping as well?"

Mai shook her head and signaled for her to follow her. Intrigued by this surprising gesture from her Buchou, Harumi just did as told without asking further questions. Once they arrived at a corner of the store that was almost deserted, Mai made her stop.

"Is something the matter, Mai-san?"

Mai put on her captain face. "I need to discuss something important with you."

Harumi wondered what it could be.

"I heard about you and Kikumaru-kun."

"Ah!" Harumi relaxed. So it was just that. She didn't know Mai was the kind of girl to be interested in gossip, but at least she was relieved that it was nothing serious.

"Yes, every human being having ears have heard about us." She said jokingly.

Mai's penetrating eyes didn't leave her face.

"Yamazaki-san, I hoped to hear you say that it wasn't true."

Harumi's mouth opened up a little in surprise. "H-huh? W-well, I guess it does seem pretty strange, but… it _is_ true."

Mai crossed her arms. "Yamazaki-san, if this is some kind of joke between you and Kikumaru-kun, then I'd have you tell me right now."

Harumi quirked an eyebrow. "No! I mean… it really is true, Buchou! Why would you think that it is a joke?"

She sighed. "If this isn't a joke, then the matter is even worse than I had feared."

"Worse? I don't get you, Mai-san!"

"It's obvious that you and Kikumaru-kun don't belong together."

Now, Harumi tried to take everything people said to her with a grain of salt, but this more than blunt statement from her captain left her completely dismayed. And angry.

"Well, obviously you know nothing about our relationship, and therefore are in a very bad position to say things like that." She countered coldly.

"You like Fuji Syusuke, don't you?"

"_Liked_." She corrected.

Mai frowned. "I will just pretend you said the truth there and believe that it is already in the past. Still, you liked Fuji Syusuke more than you like Kikumaru-kun, don't you?"

Harumi looked her captain up and down. As much as she respected her, Mai's questions and weird attitude were starting to piss her off.

"Well, I'm afraid I'm not bound to answer that question, Buchou. Why the sudden interest in my personal life?"

"I thought you were a good girl, Yamazaki-san. When I first accepted you into our team, I saw you as someone who had high values and respect for life and feelings. Well, it obviously isn't the case anymore. First, if what you are saying about Fuji-san is true, then you didn't like him much since the beginning, did you? I can't believe someone who truly loved him would forget him so soon. And second, if on the contrary you haven't forgotten him yet, then eventually you will come to hurt Kikumaru-kun. Whatever you think your reasons are for doing what you are doing right now, you are obviously in the wrong."

Harumi's lips pressed together until they became a thin line.

"Just who do you think you are, talking to me like that? You are not my mother, Mai-san! And you know nothing about me. You know nothing of the things I had to endure this past couple of months. You have no idea how hard it was to… to say goodbye to the person you love! You can't possibly begin to grasp how painful it was for me to sacrifice my own love in order for him to find his own happiness! You know nothing of all that, and yet you are judging, _judging_ me for what you _think_ I'm doing. You have no right."

"Yamazaki-san!"

"You are no right!" Harumi stressed on her words once more, before walking off.

"If you hurt Kikumaru-kun, I will not forgive you." She heard her say from behind.

Harumi stopped. "Stop acting like you are better than all of us. You have nothing but "morals" and "good behaviour" kind of speeches to give every time you open your mouth. And what's with the sudden boost of emotions towards Eiji? Are you in love with him?" She finished sarcastically.

Silence.

"So what if I am?"

Harumi pivoted. "W-what?"

"Don't make me repeat myself, Yamazaki."

"That's ridiculous!" Harumi laughed. "I mean… it's like the funniest thing anyone has ever told me this week! Are we April the first? This is a joke, right?"

Mai's stare made her smile fade away.

"This is nuts!" She muttered disbelievingly to herself. "Mai-san, it's like… you_barely_ talk to Eiji! And what's the point of telling me this now? After all you've said to me, do you expect me to just hand him over to you because you are the Buchou? Or are you going to say that giving up on him is the right thing for me to do?"

"Kikumaru-kun deserves someone who won't hurt him."

"Oh! So now I'm not good enough for him, is that it? Well, how about a reality check, Buchou? Can you even picture yourself with Eiji? Do you even understand him? Do you know what he likes or dislikes? Since the answer is obviously "no", then let me fill you in about something. Eiji is fun. He likes to have fun, to crack stupid jokes and to behave like a spoiled child. Don't you think he will be bored out of his mind with someone like you?"

Mai's eyes widened a little. Harumi threw her a look filled with challenge.

"I'm sure you know what I mean." Harumi finished before taking off.

She stormed out of the store and walked down the street, her heart pounding hard in her chest. She was still angry at Mai Buchou. How dared she say those things to her when she knew nothing about the situation?

She couldn't believe that Mai liked Eiji. The thought itself seemed ridiculous to her. The fact that Mai had any potential for feelings was in itself a very hard thing to picture.

Not watching where she was going, she brushed against the shoulders of many passersby, which earned her impatient shouts and annoyed stares.

She finally remembered that Amaya was still waiting for her at the store, when she bumped face first into someone's chest. The impact made her drop the bag she was carrying.

She mumbled a quick "gomen" and proceeded to pick up her bag. However, the person had already done that.

She lifted her eyes.

"F-Fuji!"

The tensai smiled at her. "You are as careless as ever when you cross the street, Harumi-chan!"

Harumi was speechless for a moment. She had not been face to face with Fuji since that night at the party almost three weeks ago.

"Yeah, bad habits die hard." She replied.

Fuji handed the bag back to her. "Saa, you should start practicing on doing it on your own. I won't always be there to pull you back, you know?"

She detected the slightest touch of tease in his voice. He talked to her as if nothing much had happened, and that made her suddenly feel nostalgic. She smiled slightly. It felt good to pretend that she had never confessed, and that nothing had changed between them.

"I will work on it." She answered slowly.

Fuji looked at her knowingly behind those closed eyes of his. The ghost of a smile floated an instant on his lips.

"Oi, Syusuke! What are you doing over there? Come and check this out! It's so cute!"

"Well, it was nice seeing you." Harumi said with a smile before departing.

"Ah, sayonara, Harumi-chan."

Harumi only waved a hand above her shoulder as a sign of goodbye.

She slowly walked back to the store, still thinking about that unexpected and unintentional encounter. It soothed her to pretend that nothing problematic had happened between them. She had almost felt as if they could go back to being friends.

The smile lurking at the corner of her lips surprised her. She admonished herself and rehearsed the words of wisdom in her mind for the tenth time:

_It's over between Fuji and me. _

_I am happy with Eiji now. _

_Fuji is happy with Sayuri._

_I have no regrets._

As she gradually calmed down, Mai's words began to roll on her mind once more.

She felt guilty for the things she had said to her.

She was walking on a slippery road, and she knew it.

She was slowly turning into someone she didn't like.

And yet, she could do nothing about it.

* * *

Alright, I know it's not Sunday, but I wanted to get this posted this week anyway! The next chapter will come in two weeks for sure!!! 

I hope you liked the chapter! And thanks for all the reviews! I really love all of you very much! Your reviews make me happy! They are like this source of light in my dark world of exams, LOL.

Well, take care, everyone! And see ya all next time:p


	24. Waterfall

**Waterfall **

* * *

I shouldn't care or wonder where and how you are  
But I can't hide this hurt inside my broken heart.  
I'm fighting back emotions that I never fought before  
Cause I'm not supposed to love you anymore.

* * *

Spring had finally come. The snow had melted, and small green buds were making their shy appearance everywhere on the bare branches of the trees. The sky was clear, and even though the air was still a little chilly, the sun was shining warmly upon the earth.

When the weather was beautiful like this, Harumi liked to lie on the riverbank all by herself, and stare into the clear blue skies that soared above her face. In those days, the sky seemed so clear that she felt like she could almost see the earth reflected upon its cloudless surface.

It soothed her because she could just pretend, even if it was only for an instant, that she could be a part of this pure world. She would lose herself in the contemplation of that immensity, feeling insignificant and empowered at the same time.

Sometimes Amaya or Chiharu would join her. Sometimes, she would be there with Eiji, and they would listen together as the waters in the river rushed away into the unknown world. She felt at peace with herself and with the world.

And thus the days became weeks, and weeks, months. March brought with it a small tempest of snow, which was quickly melted by the blazing sun. It seemed that nature itself was eager to get rid of the frost and the cold.

Harumi felt like her life was a beautiful and perfect painting on the wall of some castle. The road she was walking on had no bumps. Everything was smiling at her, just like the dazzling sun. Her life seemed so much like the river she enjoyed sitting by; it flowed fluidly and energetically towards the future.

It seemed that Harumi Yamazaki possessed all the ingredients to a perfect life, and yet, she felt that something was missing.

* * *

After school, Harumi slowly ambled on the way home. It was a humid day, and her coat was hanging on her forearm. She raised her head and looked up at the cloudy sky. It seemed that it was going to rain soon.

The first rain of the season.

Harumi wiped away the transpiration on her forehead, and wished that the downpour would come down quickly.

Even though the skies were clouded today, she still wanted to spend some time at the riverbank. It had become a sort of habit for her to go there, and she wanted to stick to that routine.

However, on that day, someone had already beaten her at it.

Harumi stared silently into the back of Fuji Syusuke.

He was sitting on the grass, near the waters, with his back to her. Harumi watched the way he sat with his arms a little behind his back, supporting him. She hesitated. She hadn't spoken to him much ever since the party at Atobe's house.

She would say "ohayo" to him whenever she came upon him in class or in the hallways. She would stay close and listen silently when one of her friends would speak to him. If he smiled, she would smile back. If he greeted her, she would greet him back. They hadn't been alone together ever since.

And now, he was sitting at her spot near the river, alone.

Harumi hesitated because now that she thought about it, she realized that she had nothing to say to him.

Fuji tilted his head slightly to the side and said:

"The waters are quite tumultuous today, neh?"

Harumi startled, wondering since when he was aware of her presence. She stared a moment at his profile, and then nodded slightly.

Slowly, her feet brought her to his side. She sat down on the grass beside him, but not too close.

For a moment, they just stared at the waters in silence. They were indeed pretty restless. Their course was not as fluid as it usually was.

"How are you, Fuji?" She suddenly asked.

Fuji turned towards her, frankly surprised.

"I'm alright." He smiled his trademark smile. "And you, Harumi-chan?"

"Me? Ano… as good as expected… I guess."

She didn't know what that hesitation was all about. Her eyes dived once more into the waters. Sitting beside him felt strangely familiar, even though the discomfort at the bottom of her stomach remained. How could a person be serene and uncomfortable at the same time, the young girl did not know, but the fact was that she was simply feeling that way at that precise moment in time.

Harumi eyed his profile, and wondered if things could have turned out differently between them if only she hadn't avoided him so much after she got rejected. If only Sayuri hadn't showed up. If only she had said and done things differently. Or if only she had listened to what he had to say the night of the party…

What exactly did he want to tell her?

Suddenly, it was important for her to know. She knew it was too late, and that she wasn't supposed to love him anymore, but she felt an overwhelming desire to know.

Maybe she had made a mistake?

Fuji turned towards her, collected and smiling, probably intrigued by the way she was looking at him. For a moment, Harumi opened her mouth, ready to ask him all these questions that were bugging her, but she finally decided otherwise. Her present life flashed before her eyes, reminding her that happiness was a fragile thing and that she shouldn't do something stupid that would break it all into pieces again.

She smiled back at him and then shivered. She had stayed seated for too long, and it was getting cooler by the minute as the sun slowly set down on the other side of the city.

"I will be going, Fuji. It was… nice… to be with you for awhile. It's hard to really talk when we are at school, neh?"

Fuji nodded. "Ah, you are right."

Harumi picked up her bag and slipped on her coat.

"Aren't you going back home? It's getting cold, you know?" She murmured into the silent and humid air.

"It's alright. I will just sit around for a while longer."

Harumi nodded. "Well… take care, Fuji."

There was something in his smile that took her breath away. This was wrong. She thought she had locked her feelings for him behind strong and impenetrable iron walls, but his smile was like the acid that was slowly gnawing them away.

She wasn't supposed to love him anymore.

"You too, Harumi-chan." Fuji answered gently.

For a moment, Harumi was afraid that her legs wouldn't move, wouldn't carry her away from him, but then they finally moved.

"Harumi-chan. Are you happy?" He suddenly asked.

Harumi felt her heart leap to her throat.

Was she happy? Was she happy? The answer took a while to come, but then, finally, she said "Yes, very happy", and quickly walked away without looking back.

Her life was a peaceful river up until that moment. Now, the waters were getting tempestuous again.

* * *

_I'll close my eyes,  
then I won't see  
the love you don't feel  
when you're holding me._

_Morning will come  
and I'll do what's right;  
just give me till then  
to give up this fight,  
and I will give up this fight…_

_Cause I can't make you love me if you don't  
You can't make your heart feel  
something it won't.  
Here in the dark  
in these final hours  
I will lay down my heart…_

"Harumi! Oye! Earth to Harumi!"

The young girl unplugged the earphones from her ears and let the iPod fall on her lap.

"Huh? Oh, Naoko! What's up?"

"Maa! Seriously! I was trying to talk to you for the past few minutes! What are you listening to, anyway?"

"Oh… just some random song. More importantly, what do you want?"

"Don't tell me that you have forgotten already?"

Harumi blinked, and then remembered. An expression of guilt flashed across her face.

"Oh yeah! Right! Ok… ano… I will be ready in a sec!"

She randomly threw her school belongings into her bag and then slipped on her coat. She stood up, forgetting that her iPod was still on her lap. The precious item fell towards the ground, but Harumi caught it by the earphones at the last second.

"Fiu! Saved!"

Naoko looked at the mess she had created and rolled her eyes. "You are such a klutz, Harumi! Now, hurry up, or I will go on ahead without you!"

"Oi, don't be so mean, Naoko. I'm ready! I'm following you! Ah, crap, my coat got caught in the chair. Wait!"

Naoko just waved a hand above her shoulder and started to walk off.

"Goddamn!" She swore quietly under her breath while tugging madly at her cloth. She finally freed it from the nail on the chair (why there were nails on the school chairs was beyond her comprehension), and quickly caught up with Naoko.

Her earphones chose that moment to get detached from the core of her iPod, causing the latter to hit the floor. Naoko sweatdropped when Harumi just went totally insane in front of her eyes.

When the two girls finally made it to the school ground, Naoki, Amaya and Eiji were all tapping their feet impatiently. Dark glares shot in their direction as they approached. Harumi didn't blame them; after all, they had to wait for them for thirty minutes.

"What took you so long, nya?"

"Kikumaru, do you need to ask? The obvious reason is that Harumi is tagging along as well."

Harumi slapped Naoko on the head and sulked. Eiji let out an indulgent sigh and then helped her carry her things. Harumi flashed a grateful smile in his direction. The group consisting of Amaya, Harumi, Eiji, Oishi, Takasan, Chiharu and Atobe was to have a karaoke night in downtown. Right now, they were heading towards Hyotei, where they would pick up Chiharu and Atobe. From there, they would go to Takasan's sushi restaurant where the rest of their friends were waiting for them. Fuji couldn't go because her sister was giving a musical number that night, and he had promised that he would be there along with Yuuta.

Harumi was relieved when she had heard that he couldn't go. She knew that just by being near him, her neutrality towards Fuji would scatter like pollen in the wind.

They talked and laughed all the way till Hyotei. It was the first time that Harumi was going to enter Seigaku's rival school. Her friends didn't seem to care much about it, but she felt intimidated at that perspective.

They entered by the main door and stopped in the main hall.

"Eeeeh? Weird, Chiharu and Atobe were supposed to wait for us here!"

"Maybe they decided to make out in a deserted classroom while waiting for us?" Naoki declared slyly.

"Sister!" Naoko cried out, scandalized.

Naoki snickered. "Well, ain't that the truth? Time pass quickly when one's in love, after all."

Harumi looked around. At first sight, there was nothing uncommon about the establishment. It looked bigger than Seigaku, with a discreet touch of sophistication in its structure. Eiji nudged her playfully, and declared that they should check the school out while they had the chance.

"Well, you two could do that. Naoko and I will look for Chiharu and Atobe. Geez, what a troublesome couple!"

Amaya shrugged, and joined Harumi and Eiji in their little expedition. They went through the different hallways. It was hard to get lost in there, since there were instructions and classroom numbers at every intersection of hallways, almost like street signs. Harumi looked around with wide eyes. It was quite different from Seigaku!

"Not fair! I'm sure Atobe's finances are behind this!" Harumi mumbled.

"Nya, nya, I don't think Atobe bothers about anything outside his tennis team and his mansions. I don't think he would spend money for his school, even though it is… his school."

"Then, WHY is Hyotei in better shape than Seigaku, huh?"

"Well…" The redhead scratched his head, but didn't feel like answering "that's the way things are."

"I like Seigaku better!" Amaya said. "It may be less better-looking, but it has a warm feeling to it, don't you think?"

After giving it some thought, Harumi could only agree.

"Well, we have seen their gym, their science labs, even their tennis courts. We should head back, nya."

Harumi threw him an inquiring look. "Why do you sound so disappointed?"

Two blue oval eyes turned in her direction. "That's because we didn't find anything… unusual!"

"Yeah, like they would have a secret base under the pool, or something." Harumi said sarcastically.

"Hey, that's a good point!" Eiji cried enthusiastically. "I mean, we haven't checked out their pool, yet! There may very well be creepy stairs under the water that leads to an illegal underground tennis practice area. You never know."

Harumi could only smile. "I think you've watched too many thrillers, Eiji. But you know what? What the heck! Let's check it out, anyway. Forward, Inspector Kikumaru!"

Amaya giggled by her side. Suddenly, something caught her eyes, causing her to frantically tug on Harumi and Eiji's sleeves.

"Hey guys! Look! There's a picture of the Hyotei team over there! Oh my God, it's from last year! From when they were at the Nationals!"

The secret basement of Hyotei momentarily forgotten, the trio approached to get a better view of the big picture hung on the wall. Harumi scrutinized Hyotei's members, and the only thought that came to mind was that they were less cute that those of Seigaku. There was even one that looked huge and dumb. Amaya informed her that his name was Kabaji, and that he would always tag behind Atobe.

While Amaya and Eiji discussed frantically about them being at the Nationals, and about their teams aiming for that goal this summer, Harumi sighed and went to sit down on a bench. She didn't want to think about tennis right now. After all, since day one, tennis always equaled a certain tensai in her mind.

She rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes, wishing to lose herself in some meditation. Or at least, try to.

Soon enough, some girls' giggles came to disrupt her inner silence. Fluttering her eyes open in frustration, she bent over the corner of the wall to see who was being so noisy so late in the afternoon.

Her breath caught in her lungs.

Silver hair under a blue cap. That was Sayuri alright. She was leaning against the wall with her back to Harumi. She was talking and laughing with another girl that Harumi didn't know.

The young girl thought that she should just stand up and hurry away before Sayuri could notice her presence. However, Sayuri's friend's next words made her stop and listen.

"That was so funny! Well, I'm happy for you, Sayuri! You seem to be having quite some fun with that Fuji Syusuke!"

Sayuri dismissed that statement with one wave of her hand. Her friend leaned in closer, a sparkle in her eyes. "Actually, no one can believe you two actually got together! He has quite a fanbase, you know?"

Sayuri laughed. "Man, I know I must sound weird saying this, but I just can't believe that he has a fanbase! I mean… little Syusuke?"

She giggled again. "Well, I guess that I have to get used to that idea. People do change after all."

Her friend smiled. "So, how did you manage to get him back? You told me that your relationship ended up… badly before, right?"

"My, my, Kine-chan, that break-up was a mistake! It wasn't supposed to happen. I know that I cheated on him and all, but I hadn't meant for him to find out the way he did."

Harumi's heart stopped beating in her chest.

_Cheated… chea… what? _

That word was incomprehensible to her. "Cheated" meant that Sayuri had been seeing another boy. No, "cheated" meant that she had hurt Fuji. "Cheated" meant… that she had betrayed his trust.

Harumi fell back on her bench and covered her mouth in shock.

_How… how could she have cheated on the person she loves?_

"But I don't understand, Sayuri. You went through a lot of trouble to get him back, so why did you cheat on him in the first place?"

Harumi didn't want to listen anymore. She had heard enough. But still, she stayed tense and silent as she waited for the aqua-eyed girl's reply.

"Well – Sayuri said slowly – I had been with him for a while, but I always felt like I needed more, you know? Even at that time, he was too obsessed with tennis. It was his top priority in life, or something like that. He would leave me alone and go practice with his teammates instead. It left me wanting more… always more. And then, there was this really nice boy in my neighborhood, and… it just happened."

There was a pause.

"That boy was cute, and he knew how to make paper animals in an instant, and to shoot a target from far away with his little elastic. I saw something in him that could fulfill me. I was just a little girl back then, and I just wanted to have fun, you know? I needed someone extraordinary, someone amazing and outstanding that I could look up to. And the truth was that beside tennis, Syusuke wasn't good at much."

Her friend chocked. "Fuji… the tensai? You must be kidding me!"

Sayuri snickered. "Right, I forgot that you call him a "tensai" around here. When he was little, he was far from the "tensai" type. He was quiet, and would never do anything outstanding. He always did the right thing, and never broke a rule. Maa, it was quite boring."

Her friend wanted to say something, but Sayuri cut her off:

"Plus, he wasn't strong-looking or anything. He was… frail. I'm sure that if some guy beat me up, he wouldn't even have been able to save me. Because he looked so fragile, I didn't dare to break up with him because I knew that it would hurt him too much. At the time, cheating behind his back seemed like the only choice I got."

Her friend smiled and shook her head indulgently.

"But, why did you get back with him, then?"

"Hey, I did say that people change, didn't I? Syusuke is so much different from what he used to be! Right now, he is everything I have ever wanted in a guy! He is outstanding, he is mysterious, and hot! Winning him back was a real challenge, but I enjoyed every step of it!"

"So you won't regret it?"

"Are you kidding me? He is hot and famous! I would never like to lose him again!"

Harumi's knuckles were white as her fists tightened on her lap. With every second that passed by, and with every word that Sayuri uttered, she was losing a little more control over her anger. She felt like walking up to her and strangling her on the spot.

She couldn't believe that she had backed off in order to let Fuji be with someone like her! One thing that bugged her even more was the fact that Fuji had agreed to get back with her. After what she'd done to him, how could he just forgive her? Worse, how could he get together with her? How could he look her in the eye and not feel hatred for the pain she had caused him?

But then, a daze fell in front of her eyes.

Hate. Fuji could never hate someone. He wasn't the kind of person who would ever show open hatred towards someone else.

How could Sayuri not have seen that being outstanding and good looking weren't traits that truly mattered? Fuji was kind and generous, and that alone should have sufficed her. Harumi knew that she would consider her life perfect by being on the receiving end of little gestures of gentleness from someone like Fuji every day.

She would have been satisfied. She would have protected it with everything she's got.

And what if he treasured tennis? Wasn't that a good thing? To have such a big passion in life? Harumi knew that not everything was about oneself in a relationship. And also, she knew that Fuji could protect someone he truly cares about. The incident with Kenji and the quarrel that resulted in him ending up at a hospital was proof enough. That time, Fuji knew that he couldn't win against Kenji, but he had thrown himself in front of the blow anyway.

It was a shame that Sayuri couldn't see just how strong he was, even now.

Harumi wondered if she truly loved him at all.

_And if he looked vulnerable, then you should have protected him with all you have got instead of going out there and breaking his heart, you stupid girl! After what Kenji had done to him… and then having that girl hurt him again… It's so… so… despicable!_

At that moment, a pair of arms wrapped itself around her waist as she was pulled into a warm hug. Startled, she turned around vividly only to stare into Eiji's playful eyes. As he planted a quick kiss on her neck, she forced her limbs to relax.

"Ha! I got you there, nya!"

One stare into her purple eyes made his smile become a frown. "Hey, what's wrong Harumi? You seem tense!"

Harumi waved her hand before her. "Ah, it's nothing, really! I was just tired, and you startled me, you bad boy!"

Eiji's smile came back. "Hoi, there's no room for laziness! We are gonna have some real fun this evening!"

Harumi didn't feel like going there anymore, but after seeing Eiji's enthusiasm, she knew she couldn't let him down. Besides, she knew that the best way of forgetting the conversation she had just overheard was to be with the redhead. After all, Eiji had always had the gift of making her worries melt like snow under the sun.

"Yeah, you are right! Nothing will stop us from having some major fun tonight!"

She grinned and then kissed him on the lips. Amaya cleared her throat beside them.

"It's time to go, guys. You two can wrap this up… later."

At that moment, Sayuri and her friend, still laughing, turned around the corner and came within eye sight of the trio. Sayuri and Harumi's eyes met for an instant as they passed her by.

Sayuri turned around slightly to look at her before disappearing at the corner of the hall.

Harumi didn't look back, but only wondered if she had put enough contempt and disgust into the look she had thrown at the silver haired girl.

* * *

To say that Harumi was tired was an understatement. She was exhausted; she had gone beyond the limits of what she could endure. And that exhaustion wasn't physical. It was emotional.

She had tried her best to have fun at the karaoke, but the only thing she could think of was the conversation she had overheard. Eiji didn't do as much acrobatics as he usually did because he was obviously worried about her. She felt guilty for robbing him of the fun he could have had if she was only able to better hide her troubles.

On the way home, Eiji had asked her many times what it was that was bugging her, but for some odd reason she just never told him. Actually, it wasn't that odd. She had noticed that anything concerning Fuji would make his dark blue eyes dim. Eiji knew better than anyone else how much she had loved Fuji. Therefore, she always tried not to talk too much about the tensai when Eiji was around. Actually, she tried not the talk about the tensai, period.

But now… now, she couldn't even get his face out of her mind. Lying down on her bed, still fully clothed, she stared at the ceiling with her eyes wide open in the dark. She raised her hand above her head, and felt Syu-kun's soft body leaning against the wall.

"What do I do now, Syu-kun?"

She knew she was too old to be talking to stuffed animals, but with Syu-kun, it was different, because sometimes, somehow, she almost felt as if she could hear him. Many times before, when she had talked to him about her problems, she had felt a gentle whisper inside her entire body. She couldn't comprehend the words, but the kindness she perceived from them had always soothed her. She knew that maybe it was all in her head, but she kept on doing it.

She felt bad for Fuji. Only now did she fully understand how tough his life had been. She would always complain about her own problems, but the truth was that compared to those of Fuji, they seemed so trivial and insignificant.

And Fuji still managed to smile. Even though it was forced and not entirely sincere, he would still smile.

She thought that Sayuri was his person, but now that she had seen what kind of person Sayuri really was, she was starting to have second thoughts. It was clear that she would only end up hurting him again. And it would all be Harumi's fault, because she had refused to listen to what he had to say that night at Atobe's house. If she had… then maybe… then maybe…

Her eyes widened in the dark.

_What am I thinking? It's useless to reminisce about the past. Even though I now know that Sayuri is not the one for him, it is ridiculous to think that I am that person. I love Eiji now. Eiji is everything to me. He is my happiness._

She forced herself to breathe.

_It's over between Fuji and me._

_I am happy with Eiji. _

_Fuji is…_

Her words of wisdom no longer worked. She sat up suddenly in her bed. Syu-kun seemed to be looking at her curiously, maybe wondering what was that light of determination in her purple eyes.

"Fuji will not be happy with Sayuri. The least I can do is to tell him the truth."

She slowly curled up until her knees were beneath her chin. "He probably got together with Sayuri because he still loves her, but even in that case, he needs to know what she really thinks about him. I will not allow that stupid girl to toy with him any longer. I will put an end to this."

Once more, she thought she heard Syu-kun's gentle whispers of approval in her ear. She sighed and lied down against his soft belly, wondering if sleep would come at all tonight.

* * *

It was only after a week that Harumi found the perfect opportunity to approach the tensai alone. For one entire week, he was either with his friends, or she had lost courage at the last second, or the time just hadn't seemed right.

But on that particular Tuesday morning, she knew that she couldn't back off anymore. If she truly meant to do this, then she should stop coming up with excuses.

That morning, she had come early to school, intending to go to the gym. It was so early that even the other Regulars weren't there yet. However, after she had stretched her legs as a means of warm-up, the door had slid open to reveal Fuji. He was wearing the blue and white uniform of Seigaku, and a towel hang around his neck.

Harumi had only seen him in that uniform once, and that was on the day that they had met. Seeing him walking down the gym to the cardio section, she had the impression that a cycle had just been completed. They were at the beginning again, and nothing had truly changed during all that time. They were strangers when it all started, and now that everything seemed on the verge of ending, he was still a stranger in her eyes.

But if she didn't talk to him now, she knew that she would never have the courage again. Fuji saw her coming, and greeted her with his usual smile. Harumi unconsciously eyed his muscles rolling as he ran on the treadmill.

She smiled back and then stepped on the treadmill beside his. For a moment, they ran in silence. Sweat soon starting rolling down Harumi's back. It was indeed a humid day. It had rained a little bit during the weekend, but the clouds were still heavy and ominous.

After ten minutes or so, the young girl finally gathered all her courage.

Then, many things happened at the same time. Just as she turned off the treadmill, Fuji cringed as he suddenly slipped from his. Before she knew it, Harumi had launched forward and had caught him by the arm to stabilize him.

"F-Fuji, are y-you alright?" She stammered.

The tensai straightened and unconsciously knocked his back with a fist. "Yes, it's alright. I just slipped."

But Harumi had seen his gesture. "It's your back again? Fuji, I thought that it was healed."

Fuji sighed upon seeing the panic in her eyes. "It _is_ healed. I guess that I just overdid it a bit."

Fuji straightened more and jogged a little on the spot. "It was only a temporary discomfort. I'm fine now, see?"

Harumi sighed. "No more exercising for you for the rest of the week. And I'm serious."

"It's nothing, really. Please believe me, and don't make that face."

"What face?"

Fuji dried the sweat on his brow with his towel. "That worried face."

"I'm not… worried. I'm just… saying."

For a moment, Harumi had forgotten that they had an awkward relationship. She racked her brains, trying to come up with a funny thing to say in order to dissipate the tension, but before she could find any, she caught a flashing look on the tensai's face.

All attempt at humor died inside her throat. She knew that look. He had that same expression that day at the hospital. It must be difficult for a tennis player such as himself to know that he may have a handicap. That pain in his back must seem like a bomb that could explode at any instant.

The young girl looked aside for a moment, and then declared cheerfully : "Maa, if you are fine now, then it's all good. And from now on, I don't give you permission to overdo it. Unless it's a match."

Fuji looked up at her, surprised. She grinned widely at him. Fuji smiled and nodded.

The whole incident had made Harumi forget what she had to say to him. During that morning's English class, when she finally remembered, it was too late.

* * *

That day, after school, Harumi felt like going home right away. It was another failure. At this rate, she would never be able to talk to him.

The ominous sky above her head reflected her state of mind. When she raised her head, she saw quick strands of lightning jumping from cloud to cloud. It seemed as if a storm was coming. She could feel every drop of humidity weighing on her skin.

"Just rain already, dammit…" She groaned to herself.

At the main entrance, there was no sign of Eiji.

_That baka! We were supposed to go home together, so where on earth is he? If he can't make it, then he should at least leave a note or something. _

She waited for half an hour, but he never showed up.

Harumi's mood was definitely at its lowest when she started to walk back home on her own. She was mad at Eiji's unexplained absence.

Half way to the river, she felt the first drop of rain on her face. Thunder resonated in the distance. A few seconds later, lightning flashed. Harumi rummaged through her bag, but realized that she must have forgotten her umbrella.

Swearing under her breath, she quickened her pace, hoping to get home before the downpour started. Another thunder cracked the skies open, sounding much closer than the previous one. The rain started falling heavily all of a sudden.

Harumi blinked the water out of her eyes and started running.

Soon, the world was made blurry behind a curtain of rain. The billiards of droplets hitting the ground at the same time formed a loud cacophony in her ears. Lightning illuminated the sidewalk before her eyes every thirty seconds or so.

When she was tired from running, and when her clothes were finally soaked to the core, her pace dropped. Panting, she looked around for a place with a roof that could temporarily shelter her from the rain. Her eyes settled on the bridge some distance away.

At that moment, the water suddenly stopped pouring on her. She blinked and pushed her wet hair away from her face. To her surprise, she saw the edge of an umbrella looming above her head. Her eyes turned around, only to meet Fuji's smile.

"It's quite a downpour, isn't it?" He said.

Harumi wiped the rain away from her eyes and sighed in relief. "Yeah, it is. Thanks for the umbrella, Fuji."

"No problem. Saa, let's hurry up before it gets worse."

Harumi nodded. The rain was savagely hitting against the top of the umbrella, but Harumi knew that it wouldn't break. She was finally relatively safe from the storm. She eyed the young man walking silently at her side.

They had almost reached the bridge when she spoke up:

"Fuji?"

"Hmm?"

"There's… something that you should know. You know... about Sayuri."

"Really? Did she tell you her favorite color?"

Harumi blinked in surprise. "Wha…? No. No… that's not it."

She gulped. Why did Fuji ask her such an awkward question? If it was an attempt at humour, she couldn't laugh along. Actually, she felt like she couldn't do this. But she had to. She should just let it out in one shot.

She stopped walking and grabbed the arm that held the umbrella.

"Fuji, the thing is that… it may sound weird coming from me and all, but… I just have to tell you. Not that it affects me in any way or that it makes me sleepless at night, don't get me wrong, but we are… we were friends, and so I figured that I should tell you the truth. You are probably going to be sad after hearing this, or you are probably going to hate me for saying this but…"

She shook her head violently, fully aware that she was rambling again. Fuji was looking at her, his smile not departing from his lips, almost as if he knew what she was trying to say.

"Anyway, yeah… the thing is that Sayuri… she… she is not sincere in her feelings towards you. I overheard a conversation she had with a friend and… well… I kinda learned how you two broke up. And I figured that you must love her very much if you managed to forgive her after what she has done, and I truly respect that but, Fuji, you should know that even now, she doesn't love you as much as you love her. She could hurt you anytime again and… I… just…"

The rain fell heavily around them, but its sound seemed faint to Harumi's ears. She suddenly let out a nervous laugh.

"Okay, I think this is the time when you tell me to stop sticking my nose into other people's lives. And you would be damn right! You must think that I'm annoying, always barging in your life like…"

"I know all that, Harumi-chan." He whispered quietly into the rain.

Harumi stopped. "Wha…? What do you know?"

"I know what Sayuri thinks and feels towards me. I guess I have always known it. I just never wanted to look at the truth."

"Why did you forgive her, then?"

Fuji detached his eyes from her and looked at a distant point, as if lost in thought. When he started walking again, Harumi followed him silently, trying to stay underneath the shelter of his umbrella. She figured that he wouldn't answer, but she was wrong.

"I haven't forgiven her." He finally said.

"Y-you… then… why did you let her be your girlfriend?"

Fuji smiled. "Saa, what are all these questions? Do you still care that much about me?"

Harumi instantly felt her heart lurching out of her chest. Was he testing her? What was that question all about? If she said "no", then she would be lying, but if she said "yes", how would that sound?

"W-well, yes… a little bit." She stuttered with a red face. However, she immediately cried out :

"But I just don't want you to get hurt, that's all."

Fuji's smile seemed to have widened somehow at her answer. They were walking on top of the bridge now. The river underneath their feet was roaring along with the fury of the storm, as its waters rushed left and right, splattering against the riverbanks, threatening to overflow from its bed.

Fuji stopped walking. "You should stop worrying about me all the time, Harumi-chan. You have made your choice, and you are happy now. Thinking about me will only make you sad needlessly. You should focus more on your life."

Harumi wiped the rain away from her brow with a slightly trembling hand. Now that they were in an exposed area, a mere umbrella couldn't shelter them much from the fury of the elements. She saw droplets of water dripping from Fuji's hair as well.

As an afterthought, the tensai added : "Eiji is a nice guy. He will always look after you and give you everything that you need."

_And that you can't get from me._

Suddenly a strong gust of wind blew over the river and the bridge. The filaments of rain became almost horizontal for a moment. Suddenly, the umbrella was gone, torn away from Fuji's hand. The downpour fell on them, soaking them completely in mere seconds. Thunder resonated again. Lightning followed, illuminating both their faces in an eery way.

"I see." Harumi said in response to Fuji's previous words.

She made no gesture to run towards shelter, but merely walked to the edge of the bridge, where she leaned against the railing.

"Harumi-chan, let's run for it." Fuji said awkwardly.

Harumi didn't seem to have heard him, nor did she seem to be feeling the rain.

She was happy, wasn't she? She had a nice family, a caring boyfriend. Then why were tears running down her cheeks, mingling with the cold rain?

Fuji walked up to her. "Harumi-chan?"

She rubbed her eyes and breathed in deeply. "We are already soaked..." She said while turning towards him. "So it doesn't really ma..."

The words just died out when she saw Fuji's face, which was full of concern. She shut her eyes close and gritted her teeth.

"Why?" She croaked under her breath.

Fuji approached. "What?"

Harumi was unable to stand it any longer. "Why? Why are you always so kind? Why do you keep showing me that worried face while telling me not to worry about you? Why are you always like this?"

Fuji stood still as he watched the tears running down her cheeks.

Harumi looked away. "Stop it already. Stop being kind to me."

"Harumi-chan…"

"And stop saying my name like that! Do you have any idea..." She shook her head violently. "Do you have any idea of what it makes me feel when you...?"

She looked at him desperately. "Why do you always make it so hard for me to stop caring for you? I want to. I really want to..."

Fuji averted her eyes, feeling pain run down his chest at the despair he felt in her.

Harumi suppressed her sobs and was about to run away when Fuji grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Let me go, Fuji." She said without looking at him.

Fuji gritted his teeth, but he didn't let go. Harumi pushed him with her other hand and screamed : "Just what do you want from me?"

"Harumi-chan. Why? I thought you are happy now! I wanted you to be happy."

Harumi turned around and pushed away Fuji's hand. "Happy? Where have you been looking? You always seem like you care for me and yet...! "

She covered her mouth. She didn't have the right to blame him for not detecting the fact that she was unhappy. After all, she's been lying to herself about this same matter. She just realized and admitted how unhappy she truly was. But... did she have the right to be unhappy? She had everything a normal teenage girl would want, didn't she?

Fuji looked at her, at a loss for words. She was right. He wanted her to be happy so bad that he was eager to believe her when she said that she was happy, that day at the riverbank. Why did he keep hurting her? Ever since the day they met, he's been hurting her over and over again. Suddenly, it was unbearable to keep facing her, to watch the relentless fall of her tears.

He bowed his head and started to walk off the bridge. Harumi fell on her knees, sobbing. Watching Fuji's back walk away felt like he was walking out of her life forever. She closed her hand in a fist until her nails dug into her palms. The rain felt heavy on her shoulders.

"Fuji... Fuji..."

_Harumi-chan. Are you happy?_

Fuji's question echoed in her head. She looked up at Fuji's retreating back through a curtain of rain. Gasping, she stood up, slipped and fell on her hands. "Fuji!" Her voice was covered by the thunder. She stood up again and ran after him. Her vision was made blurry by the rain and the tears.

And then, finally, he was in front of her. She threw her arms around him and clang to him desperately.

"Fuji. No... don't go."

Fuji stopped, taking in the warmth of her body against his back. From over the ruckus of the rain, he heard her muffled voice whisper:

"Fuji, I'm not happy. I know I should be, but I just can't be happy without you. You probably hate me for everything I've said to you. You probably hate me for how selfish I am. And you would be right. I have an easy life, and yet I'm not satisfied. I told Eiji that I love him. But I think it's a lie."

She buried her face in his back and sobbed. "Fuji... it hurts so much to be around you, to love you. And yet, I do. I love you, Fuji. I love you so much it hurts. But even if I know that it's painful, I still want to be by your side, I still want to love you."

She tightened the hold around Fuji's body. She had gone too far this time.

How many times have she had wished for this feeling to just go away. She's tried so hard to make it fade into oblivion. Every night, she would pray to God to give her a cage big enough to lock this love away. But every morning, when she woke up, the only person she would still think of was him. Yes, how many times has she wished to cut my heart off in order not to feel this anymore. But it was no good. Whatever she did, it was no good.

After several seconds, or maybe was it several minutes, Fuji gently but firmly pulled away from her grasp and turned to face her. She slowly looked up at him but couldn't see his eyes. Her lips started trembling. If he rejected her a second time, she would lose everything. There was no way she could ever go back to what her life was like before tonight.

And suddenly, Fuji's hand was on her cheek. He was holding her face up, and his eyes, usually full of resolve, were shaking. His lost expression made him look so much younger and more fragile, as if he had revolved back to the little boy he was before all the sadness began.

"Harumi-chan... even after I've hurt you so much..."

Harumi shut her eyes close.

"But... you've been hurting more than I was. Always."

She opened her eyes and caught a brief glimpse of Fuji's tears before the tensai pulled her into a tight embrace. Her eyes opened in shock.

Was this really happening? And what did it mean?

"Harumi-chan, gomenasai, gomenasai..."

The rain still fell on them, but none of them felt it now.

"Don't apologize!" Harumi blurted out. It reminded her of how he said "I'm sorry" when she first confessed to him. At the time, she couldn't see what his expression was, but it had to be similar to the one he wore toda. Harumi was happy that he finally allowed himself to be vulnerable in front of her, but at the same time, she wanted to erase that expression from his face.

Suddenly, his lips were pressed against hers in a gentle kiss.

Her last tears squeezed out from her eyes as she leaned against him as if all the bones in her body had turned to dust.

Fuji caught her by the waist before she could fall, without interrupting the kiss.

She had been so cold all along, but that kiss was surprisingly warm. It tasted like the rain, the wild and untamable rain.

When he put an end to it, Harumi drew in a sharp breath. She had forgotten to breathe for the whole duration of that kiss.

His eyes were different from what they usually were. They were vulnerable, and a little disoriented, but also kind.

She locked her arms behind his neck and kissed him again and again, eagerly, passionately.

With every kiss, she felt herself falling deeper and deeper, along with the rain, into the watery abyss.

She had never desired someone more than she desired Fuji Syusuke. She had never longed for something more than she longed for that loving gaze in his eyes. She had waited for this moment for so long.

For so long.

A kiss in the rain.

* * *

Harumi always thought that if happiness could be seen, then it would look like a peaceful river, twisting its way among flowery fields and evergreens, like a long silver ribbon. But now she knew that it was none of that.

Happiness was a waterfall in a stormy day. Happiness was clamorous and wild, filled with fury and thunder.

And in her universe, that waterfall could only be Fuji Syusuke.

* * *

Thanks to everyone who was patient enough to wait for two weeks! As a sign of my gratitude, I'm posting this on Saturday rather than Sunday. I hope that you all liked it! I think this is ONE of the last chapters of this fic. I'm really sad that it's coming to an end, but hey, this is life! I think there may be one more chapter left, or if I manage to squeeze in enough content, then maybe two.

Thanks for everyone who reviewed for the last chapters! And my exams have gone pretty well this time, so that's one more reason for me to be happy!

So, in this chapter, the song at the beginning is "I'm not supposed to love you anymore" by Bryan White, and the second, that Harumi was listening to, is "I can't make you love me if you don't" by Bonnie Raitt.

Oh yeah, I figured that some of you may want to know the result of the vote. You know, the "which couple is better: Fuji / Harumi or Eiji / Harumi, one. Even if you are not interested, I will post it anyway cause I finally had the time to classify them.

So, on the 30 people that reviewed for that chapter:

12 want a Fuji / Harumi ending (not surprising, haha)

4 prefer Eiji / Harumi

8 say that it's too hard to choose (mwahaha, my own dilemma is contagious, huh?)

And 6 people didn't vote cause, well, they sounded very excited in their reviews, so I have to assume that they forgot.

Haha, I'm happy people like this story so much. BIG motivation factor, there.

(Ah, I just finished watching Bleach. Such a FRIGGIN awesome anime. I think I'm gonna write a Bleach fic next. I already have my ideas, niek, niek.

Now I'm watching Death Note. Another awesome anime. I mean, how can people come up with all these amazing ideas? It's insane! But of course, Prince of Tennis is still the king here. Anyone else thinks it's annoying that new episodes are coming out every three months or so? And I don't wanna spoil it for those who haven't seen the Nationals Arc yet, but I am very much displeased with the outcome of Fuji's match. What the hell? I'm sorry but I just hate people who talk about Bible in tennis.)

Anyways, end of parenthesis. Ok, now that the vote outcome is done, lemme reply to your reviews! I know it's been a while, but you know… school…

**Singer in the wind :** lol, yeah, she went back to him. I had so much fun writing this chapter. It's like… THE biggest Fuji / Harumi scene ever.

**Kp-sama :** haha, hey, what do ya mean by sudden "drama" scenes? There was drama all along. Hum, I don't think I can lessen the drama since the story is just writing itself and I'm just another helpless witness (typer). Haha. But seriously, I enjoy dramatic stuff. Life without drama wouldn't be as interesting. I always enjoyed shedding some tears over sad movies. :p

**White Alchemist Taya**: well, you got your answer in this chapter. Hum… I don't think I have mentioned Sayuri using Fuji before this chapter, but after all, one can never be so sure. I will check that out again. But anyways, she's not really using him. It's more like… her love is superficial.

**Hajimari**: roger that, buddy! This chapter was one big change in Harumi and Fuji's relationship. I wonder what will happen now. So many people are gonna be upset, haha. So, did this chapter manage to convert you back into a Fuji / Harumi fan?:p

**Unchangingxp:** totally spies? No, I don't believe so. Why do you say that, lol? Is it like a tv series or something?

**Fujilovesme:** haha, don't worry, as you can from this chapter, the tide has definitely turned in favor of Harumi and Fuji. Now it's them against the world. Let's all see how they are gonna tell it to everyone.

**JayleeJ :** hum, I liked how you said that Harumi belongs to Fuji and no one else. You got that right:p Well, in this kind of situations, it is inevitable that someone is going to end up hurt. Sayuri is probably gonna go insane, but no one cares about that, right:p

**Eiji.K.lover123:** Yaay, I always love your reviews! Thanks a lot. Well, of course Sayuri is not supposed to be with Fuji. It's Harumi and Fuji all the way, YEAH! Hum, hum, anyways, I shouldn't be getting so excited. I am the writer of this fic, after all. In your previous review, I think you asked me if it's hard to come up with all this. Since I didn't answer that round of reviews, I will answer to you now: well, what happens when I write a fanfic is that it all starts with a single scene. That scene can be at the beginning, the middle or the end. For this fic, it is the very last scene of the last chapter, so I can't tell you what it is, haha! You will have to be patient! So, anyway, I keep that scene at the back of my head, and occasionally more scenes pop up. I especially like it when it happens at school, cause then I'm less bored, but anyways, that's just a tangent. So, when I get a rough picture of the story, I open my faithful Word and type it down. And then I just develop everything, change some stuff, and there you go! It sounds messy, but it doesn't take me all that long. It's not as if I stay in front of computer and think about it for hours. Hope that helped. ( woah, just noticed I typed a novel!).

**Anime300**: thanks a lot for the review! Mai-san likes Eiji, so now she's gonna get mad too if Eiji gets mad. Ooops, I sense more storms coming our way, lol.

**Serekan**: hum, what you are saying is very interesting. I know that a lot of people like the idea of a Mai Eiji ending, but I myself am reluctant to do so. When I came up with the character of Mai, I never really liked her all that much, and I have no idea why. You may be thinking : "ok, how can she invent a character she dislikes?" and my answer would be: I have no idea, it just happened. So now, well, that's the result. I don't really like Mai's personality either. Thanks for the review!

**MysticBlood:** Yeah, the story is not over yet. There are still a couple of interesting things to happen. Some of you may think "more drama", and you wouldn't be completely wrong, haha. Anyways, thanks for the review! Hope you will keep reading:p

**Rita **: hey there! What's up? I totally understand about school. I remember a time when I used to read a girl's fanfic whose chapters were as long as mine. And it always took me a week or so because I only read it when I had the time, that is to say, not that often. Anyways, I'm glad you were able to finish it in only 2 days, LOL. Hope you liked this one!

**Fuyu Hakumei**: aww, thanks so much for your encouragements. I did great on my exams this time. Even chemistry! So I'm on cloud 9 right now, and therefore have plenty of inspiration, haha!!

**Rhea :** thanks for reading and reviewing and appreciating and liking and… well, you get what I'm trying to say! Hope you liked this chapter. I know that Harumi and Eiji look cute together, but she just loves Fuji more! (sigh) love is complicated.


	25. Vortex

**Vortex**

* * *

Woke up early this morning, made my coffee like I always do.  
Then it hit me from nowhere, everything I feel about me and you.  
The way you kiss me crazy, baby you're so amazing.

* * *

**Wednesday**

Just like the day before, Harumi was the first one to get to the fitness center. She took her time to change out of her uniform and into her sports clothes. She then slowly attached her long hair in a ponytail. All the while, she didn't stop throwing quick glances at the door, hoping that he would come as well. She slowly stretched her arms and legs, and then sat up on a nearby bench with weights at her feet. She threw another glance toward the door.

_Will he come?_

Her heart beat faster at that perspective. The warm sensation of his lips on top of hers still lingered in her mind. The way the rain ran down their cheeks as they kissed still hadn't left her skin. She lied down on a bench with a happy sigh and rested a hand on top of her forehead. With her other hand, she seized a weight and lifted it up and down unconvincingly for a couple of times before giving up. She couldn't put her mind to it, and she was tired. She hadn't slept much all night.

_Did Fuji really kiss me? Does it mean that he... loves me?  
_

At that thought, a warm sensation ran through her chest. She tapped her lips gently with her forefinger and remembered what had happened after they stopped kissing each other. He had walked her to her house, holding her close to him as they ran together under the rain. Warm rays of light were pouring out from the windows of her house when they finally arrived in sight of her street. Fuji and Harumi had simultaneously stopped outside the circle of light spreading outward from the windows. Even then, they knew that their kiss and everything that it implied had to be kept secret, at least for a while.

Harumi thought about Eiji, and a sharp flash of guilt crossed her chest.

_Eiji... What have I done? Why did this have to happen after all this time? Do I have the right to be Fuji now? What about my feelings for Eiji? I don't see him as a simple friend now. I... _

She sat up straight on the bench and clenched and unclenched her fists nervously. Suddenly, the day seemed less bright to her.

The sound of the gym's door closing startled her out of her thoughts. Without looking at who it was, she swiftly picked up her weights and started swinging them up and down. Footsteps resounded behind her back, making all her muscles tense. A hand fell on her shoulder.

"Ohayo, Harumi! You are early today!"

Harumi relaxed and turned around. "Ohayo, Chiharu! Yes, I couldn't sleep last night, so I woke up early this morning, and now here I am!"

Chiharu eyed her from above with one arched eyebrow. "Harumi…did something happen?"

"Something…? What do you mean?"

Chiharu stared at her again, and then passed an arm over her shoulder to stretch it. "Hum...? Nothing. Never mind."

Harumi cursed under her breath. Chiharu had always had a good eye for other people's hidden emotions. And she knew that her own expressions were usually easy to read. Amaya had told her that her face was like an open book that everyone could decipher if they put their mind to it. Harumi promised herself that she would definitely correct that someday.

The door slid open again and the whole female team entered, with Mai Buchou at their head. Harumi bit her lower lip a little when she saw her captain. Mai had warned her not to hurt Eiji, and she thought that it would be the easiest thing in the world, but now… now…

_No, even now, it's a certainty. How can I hurt Eiji? Now that I know that Fuji has feelings for me, I should be satisfied. We can pretend that nothing happened and go back to... _

The sensation of Fuji's lips on top of hers invaded her mind. How could she pretend that THAT didn't happen? It seemed that everything that has happened had led them to that fateful encounter under the rain. And besides, what did Fuji want to do now? Was he going to break up with Sayuri? Harumi decided that before she did anything reckless, she should talk to the tensai one more time.

''Yosh!'' She blurted out, happy with this resolution.

Chiharu arched her eyebrow at her, and Harumi giggled nervously.

The redheaded girl sighed and took her arm. "Come on, let's join the others!"

Mai Buchou then cleared her throat, claiming everyone's attention. "Alright girls, listen up! After the rain stops, a new tennis season will start. You have slacked off enough during the winter and now it's time to get back to work. Please bring your uniforms next time we meet. We will hold matches outside and see how much rust got on your tennis techniques during the winter. If some people are seen as unfit of belonging to the team, they will have to yield their status as a Regular. After all, many other girls are still waiting for a spot among our team."

Harumi's teammates all looked at each other, determination crossing their eyes. Harumi's eyes hardened as well. She had to prove to her captain that she was capable as well.

Mai's eagle gaze wiped across the group of girls gathered in front of her. "Yosh, that's all for today. Please proceed to your usual workouts."

As the group was dispersing, the door slid open for the third time, giving passage to the male Regulars. Harumi's eyes widened for less than a second when she spotted the tennis tensai standing next to Tezuka.

Fuji saw her as well, and it seemed to her that his trademark smile softened a tiny little bit. Before Harumi could resist, her lips had curved up in a smile of their own.

"Harumi?" Amaya asked by her side.

The young girl broke eye contact with the tensai with difficulty and turned to her friend, all the while trying to make the butterflies in her stomach disappear.

"Yeah, coming!" She said. She was scared by the power of the emotion that had seized her back there. It was almost as if her body remembered the pleasure of that magical moment under the rain, and wanted to taste it again.

"Hooooi, Harumiii!"

The young girl turned to see Eiji waving at her in big motions. Her heart flinched a little.

_Eiji…_

The redhead frowned in a guilty fashion, looking like a kid that had just been caught with his hand in the jar of cookies.

"Harumi, I'm sorry I couldn't be there yesterday! I forgot a last minute homework with Oishi, and I couldn't find you anywhere in the school to tell you that I wouldn't be able to walk you home! So…I hope you aren't mad at me, nya."

Harumi was baffled by his words for a couple of seconds before understanding what he was talking about. She remembered that he hadn't been at the school gate the day before.

"Ah, no big deal about that, Eiji. Of course I'm not mad at you." She replied with a forced smile.

She quickly eyed Fuji, but he had his back to her. A stern glance from Tezuka made her blush. Eiji and her had been interrupting his speech. Harumi went back to her workout.

_I don't want to hurt Eiji. I don't._

* * *

**Thursday**

He was sitting right next to her. He was there, less than two meters away from her, and yet, she couldn't do anything. The English teacher was rambling again about the importance of parallelism in a text, which Harumi couldn't care less about.

_What's the point in sharing a class with the guy I like if I can't even talk to him?_

Sighing, she rested a cheek on her palm, and discreetly eyed the tensai sitting next to her. He was scribbling something down. She didn't understand how he could focus on the course at all times. She sulked a little, also thinking that, contrary to her, he clearly didn't look like he was eager to speak to her or look at her or... think about her.

That kiss in the rain seemed like such a delicious dream… Wait, maybe it was a dream? If it were a dream, she wouldn't need to worry about telling Eiji something she hadn't done. However, this denial was futile. That kiss was real, and she didn't know if she should be happy or anxious about it. That thought was another denial in itself. She blushed as she remembered the passion that had passed between them at that moment. She had liked it. She had loved it. She had desired it. But still, she couldn't yield to it for a second time; she didn't want to betray Eiji's feelings.

The hours seemed so long in class. Her treacherous mind wondered when she would be able to talk to Fuji again. It had been precisely thirty nine hours and twenty two minutes that he had kissed her goodbye near her house, and that she had mouthed a quiet "thank you" to him before leaving him. At the threshold, she had turned around to look at him one last time. He was beside a streetlight, standing there in the rain, waiting for her to go inside. Lightning had flashed then, briefly illuminating his silhouette, the wet clothes sticking to his skin, his locks of wet hair hanging in front of his eyes, and his blue pupils blazing with the intensity of the feelings he had for her.

The way he was looking at her made her feel like she was the most desirable woman in the whole world.

That memory made her whole body warm up. She let out a content and yet guilty sigh. She admonished herself for thinking about him again. She admonished her heart for beating so fast, and her cheeks for burning so hot. However, just thinking "Fuji loves me" made her blood boil and her adrenaline shoot up. She felt like she could do anything.

She took out a piece of paper and started scribbling on it.

After she had read and re-read the content of her message, she folded it into a neat little square. She knew she couldn't just pass it to Fuji without taking any measures of precaution. Fuji and her hadn't been talking for months; therefore, any sudden renewal of conversation between them would seem more than suspicious in the eye of others.

Her pencil fell to the floor. The tensai and the young girl bent over at the same time to pick it up. Fuji got a hold of it first. He then gave it back to her with a smile. Their hands brushed briefly when Harumi took it back. Her lips curved up in a smile in spite of herself.

They both returned to their sitting positions. The teacher was still talking about parallelism, and all around them, the other students were half asleep. No one had noticed, and if they did, they didn't judge it important enough to register it.

Smiling, Harumi opened her palm to reveal a small square of paper. She unfolded it discreetly, and saw that it was covered with Fuji's elegant handwriting. Her purple eyes sparkled as she read his note. So he was thinking a little about her as well.

* * *

**Friday**

Harumi stretched languorously on the library chair. Amaya threw her an indulgent yet disapproving stare.

"Harumi, concentrate. Con-cen-trate. I'm here to help you, but I can't do anything if you don't concentrate."

Harumi flipped the pages of her math textbook with as much enthusiasm as a wayward child being presented with a dish of green vegetables. Outside, the rain was still hitting gently against the windows. That noise made her sleepy.

"Demo… it's really late already! I wanna go home!"

"Your exam is next Monday, isn't it?" Amaya asked with one arched eyebrow.

"Yeah, it is. But I will be just fine. I understand like 60 percent of the material, which means that I won't fail."

Amaya sighed, her green eyes full of disapproval. "Harumi, you are so irresponsible! I mean… what if the whole test is on the 40 percent that you don't know?"

"Oh, come on, that's impossible!"

"You never know! Last year, the teachers decided to be sadistic and gave us four whole questions on statistics. It may not sound dramatic just like that, but guess what? Statistics was a topic on which we received only ONE lecture during the LAST week of classes. You may think that was bad enough? Oh no, it got worse. When we opened the exam, we saw that every question on statistics was worth fifteen points. Fifteen freaking points! So basically what I'm saying here is that if you fail these four questions, you fail the test! So don't get so confident that you won't get tested on the 40 percent that you still haven't studied, you hear me, Harumi?"

"…"

"Harumi?"

The young girl detached her eyes from the rain falling outside. "Hmm?"

Amaya felt a vein pulsing on her forehead. "Harumi… you didn't listen to a word that I have just said, did you?"

Harumi yawned. "Statistics… 15 points… I listened." She put her books inside her bag. "Look, I'm not really in the mood for math. I still have the whole weekend to study. I will figure it out somehow by Monday."

Amaya imitated her friend by putting away her own books. "Seems to me that you are not in the mood for many things, lately. I mean… you are always daydreaming! You can't do that when the exams are so close!"

A flash of annoyance crossed Harumi's purple eyes. "Tsk, school is pissing me off. I'm glad we are Friday. Amaya, if you are my friend, do me a favor and stop talking about the exams!"

Amaya sighed. "Hai, hai… let's go home!"

They left the library and went to their lockers. Harumi was not annoyed because the exams were close. Actually, she couldn't care less about the exams. She was annoyed because she hadn't had the opportunity once, not even once, to exchange a full sentence with Fuji since that incident on the bridge.

_What's the point of us confessing to each other if we have to pretend to ignore each other 24 / 7?  
_

Wait, that thought didn't sound right. Actually, it didn't sound at all like the resolution she had taken. She quickly forced her mind to think otherwise.

_I need to talk to him and figure out what is going to happen from now on. If he wants to be with me... then... but... what if he decides to pretend that nothing happened?  
_

She gulped. She didn't want to think about that either.

Thoughts like these were the reason for which she was feeling awkward every time she was with the redhead. When he would smile at her or do something nice for her, she felt that she was betraying him. Before the incident on the bridge, she had much less worries in her life. Actually, her life was perfect!

However, the truth remained that deep down she didn't want to return to that perfect life.

And because of that, she was a horrible person. She didn't want to be a horrible person. She didn't want to break Eiji's heart.

A sudden BONG and a pain to her forehead pulled her away from her thoughts. She blinked, and realized that she was sitting on the floor with her bag and books scattered all over the place before her feet. Her head was swirling as if it had just hit something.

_Crap, did I just walk into a locker?_

Just then, she saw _him_ sitting on the floor in the same position as she was, with a hand to his head.

"Gomen!" They exclaimed to each other at the same time.

Harumi felt an urge to laugh, but bit her tongue when she saw Amaya coming back in her steps to see what had caused the ruckus.

"Harumi, what on earth… Fuji!" Amaya exclaimed upon seeing him.

The tensai stood up and quickly dusted off his pants. "We bumped into each other. Gomen, Harumi-chan. I wasn't looking where I was going."

He stuck his hand out, offering to help her to her feet.

Harumi blushed and murmured something that she didn't understand herself. Slowly, she gave him her hand and let him pull her off the groud. Her heart was aching for him and yet she barely had enough courage to look at him in the eyes. Fuji kept her hand in his a little longer than he should have before letting it go.

Amaya, unaware of her friend's troubled mind, proceeded to pick up the content of her bag scattered all over the place while scolding her for her clumsiness.

"Geez, Harumi, I'm sure you were daydreaming again! It wasn't entirely Fuji-san's fault, you know?"

"It's alright, I will assume the responsibility." The tensai replied throwing his bag upon his right shoulder.

Harumi looked away.

Amaya shrugged and smiled at Fuji's words. "Alright, as you wish! Come on, Harumi, it's getting late!"

She started walking and disappeared at the corner of that row of lockers. Fuji saw Harumi's agenda lying at his feet, and picked it up. Harumi stretched a hand to take it back, and gathering her courage, whispered: "Fuji, I don't feel right about..."

Fuji pulled her agenda back by some centimeters, causing her fingers to close on thin air.

"Harumi? What are you doing? I am going to go without you, you know?" Amaya's voice resounded from the other side of the lockers.

Harumi's purple eyes didn't leave Fuji's blue ones when she answered : "I will be right there! My agenda… is kinda stuck in here!"

Well, that wasn't a lie.

"What are you doing?" She whispered calmly, although deep inside she was everything but calm.

Fuji's expression didn't shift at all. "Saa."

Harumi bit her lower lip. "I didn't know you liked to take agendas hostage."

Fuji smiled. "Only yours."

Harumi stretched out her hand vividly, but her fingers closed on thin air for the second time.

_This guy has some pretty damn good reflexes!_

She made a step towards him. "Stop playing around, Fuji. I'm serious. And give it back."

Fuji's smile widened. "Maa… it's right here. Come and take it."

Harumi didn't know this side of the tensai.

Fuji saw bewilderment painted on the young girl's face. He thought that it made her look even cuter than she usually was. He saw a kind of childish determination sparkle in her purple eyes, and knew that she had accepted his challenge, as silly as it was.

"Very well – she whispered – I'm sorry Fuji, but this is going to be quick. Like I said, I don't really have time to play with you right now."

She jumped in his direction, arm flashing out to seize the little black agenda. Fuji moved to the side and dodged her straightforward attack.

"Fuji, you…" She groaned under her breath and pivoted on her right foot to launch herself at him again.

Fuji stepped back and passed the agenda from his right hand to his left. "Good pivoting foot. Good balance. Average speed. Too predictable attacks."

He let out the whole speech smoothly as if he was analyzing a tennis match during a calm summer afternoon, comfortably seated under the shadows of a tree. Harumi gritted her teeth in annoyance and put pressure on him until his back met one of the lockers. She then immobilized his left wrist with a firm grip.

"Gotcha!" Harumi smirked while maintaining her iron grip on his slender wrist.

His skin was warm.

She gulped and forced that image away from her mind. She couldn't afford to be distracted right now.

Fuji's eyes flew open. Her face was merely inches away from his; she was so close that he could detect and identify all the shades of purple in her pupils. "You are cornered, Fuji Syusuke!"

She reached for her agenda.

"Am I?" Fuji replied.

With his other hand he pressed the small of her back and attracted her to himself, locking her free arm between their two bodies. Harumi wiggled against him, but he was too strong for her.

"Cheater!" Harumi hissed softly in annoyance.

He could feel her quick breath on his face. "No, I didn't cheat." Her body was so soft.

Harumi's eyes shone angrily. "That kiss on the bridge was meaningless."

Fuji eyed her. "Was it?"

"It was! It was meaningless! And what I've told you before was meaningless as well. Everything between you and me is meaningless."

After delivering her speech, she drew in some breath. There was a pause. "Then, why don't you break free?" Fuji said without looking at her.

She then realized that his hand was no longer on her back. She was free to snatch her agenda and leave.

She looked at him, at the way his brown bangs fell on his open eyes, at the purity of the gaze posed upon her figure. He was like an angel.

She took his hand and put it back on her hip. "Baka, you aren't supposed to give up this quick."

Fuji saw her purple pupil up close for a last time before the world flashed red in front of his eyes.

It was identical yet different from their first one. This one was deeper, filled with all the things they wanted to say to each other and yet couldn't, filled with her broken denials and his sleepless nights. Every aspect, form and manner of that kiss screamed out "I miss you".

Fuji felt as if he was pulled inside of her, and she inside of him. For a moment, the feelings he felt swirling in his chest were hers, the heart beating madly at his temples was hers. Every thing that used to belong to him now belonged to her. She was breaking every wall, and yet he felt so safe.

His grip loosened gradually and the agenda fell to the floor. His free hand entangled itself in her soft, smooth hair as he kissed her back.

It all stopped as quickly as it had started. Before he realized it, she was already away from him, leaving him against the locker, panting and breathless. Their kiss has lasted less than five seconds, and yet it felt like an eternity to them.

Harumi picked up her agenda with a sad smile. "I have lost to myself." She whispered dispiritedly as an image of Eiji flashed through her mind. "I can't be a good person, after all. It's too hard."

"You are a desperate case, Harumi! Maa, how can your agenda get stuck?" Amaya's approaching voice echoed in their ears.

Harumi startled and looked in the direction of the voice. She had completely forgotten about her friend.

"Yeah, s-stupid, huh? But I just got it back! Everything is under control!"

"You should go." She added hastily in Fuji's direction.

The young man straightened and nodded. If Amaya saw that he was still here after all this time, she could naturally assume that Harumi had spent the last minutes alone with him, in which case her excuse for an agenda stuck to the floor would seem even less believable.

"I will go, then." He whispered.

When he passed her by, he slipped a little piece of paper into her front pocket. He touched her cheek lightly with one finger, and then disappeared behind a row of lockers, in the opposite direction. Harumi looked at the location where he had stood a second before, her lips still humid from that kiss.

_Fuji… you are gone… already._

She tapped her front pocket containing his precious message, and a hopeful smile illuminated her face.

That's how Amaya found her, standing there between two rows of lockers, holding a black agenda against her chest, her eyes shining softly as if an angel had stolen her heart.

* * *

I guess that I'm just falling deeper into something I've never known.  
But the way that I'm feeling, makes me realize that it can't be wrong.  
You're love's like a summer rain, washing my doubts away.

* * *

**Saturday**

_Tomorrow. 10 am. "In a warm place to think."_

She re-read that note for tenth time and a small smile came to play on her lips. _"In a warm place to think."_ She had known immediately to what Fuji was referring to. She was amazed that he still remembered with pinpoint precision the words she had said to him on that cold afternoon of February.

She moved her umbrella a little bit to the back to be able to fully stare at the coffee shop standing in front of her. The rain was still falling softly from the grey skies. She knew that all her friends were depressed by the bad weather, but she treasured these waters falling from the skies, intrinsically linking her heart to that of the young man who was surely waiting for her inside the pub.

She quickly stepped in and looked around quite nervously. She didn't know why Fuji had chosen such an easily accessible place for their first meeting. She shifted her bag from her right shoulder to her left and walked past many clients lined up in front of the bar. It was exactly ten o' clock.

He was sitting by the big windows at the end of the room. It was the exact same place that Harumi had brought him to the first time they had come. Her smile widened extensively.

_It's so sweet of him to have remembered this much… _

He was looking outside the window, at the rain, with his cheek on his right palm. His eyes, surprisingly, were open, and some of the daylight that could reach from beyond the clouds was reflected in his icy pupils. He always looked so kind in everything that he did. Harumi thought that if she wasn't in love with him already, she would fall for him a second time just by seeing him sitting there, looking at the falling rain.

When she approached him, he immediately noticed her.

"I didn't know you remembered the details of that day so clearly." Harumi said in greeting.

Fuji's lips twisted up in a true smile. "Seems like I have a good memory."

She sat down on the other side of the table, facing him. "Well, in any case, it made me happy that you remembered, because…"

She blushed and coughed a little.

"Because…?"

"Because that day you opened up to me for the first time." She said.

Fuji looked surprised. "You have a good memory too for that kind of things, Harumi-chan."

Harumi pouted. "That's because it's something you rarely do."

Fuji's expression fell. "Yes, you are right. Gomen."

Harumi vividly waved her hands before her. "Ah, but it's okay! I understand why. Well, I think that I do. A little bit."

A little silence fell between them.

"Fuji, why are we here? Anyone could see us from the street. If someone we know learns that…" She stopped and looked at her knees.

_This feels so criminal!_

Fuji seemed to read what was going on in her mind. "We need to talk. We haven't been able to do so since… that day on the bridge. And this situation, I can't say that I really like it. We are lying to too many people."

"The whole outside world, you mean." Harumi agreed with a sigh.

Then a doubt seized her. "Fuji… ano… when you say that you don't like this situation…"

The tensai reassured her with a smile. "Don't worry, Harumi-chan, I am not thinking of leaving you. You have made me see clearly what I truly treasure in my life. I'm not letting you go, no matter what."

Harumi felt tears pickling at the edge of her eyes, but forced them back.

"Of course you are not!" She reached out and took his hand. "We are bound now, see? So even if you leave, I will pull you back to me. I'm not letting go of you either."

Fuji nodded. "I don't know how to resolve our present situation, yet. But no matter how everything ends, I promise you that we will be together."

Harumi stuck out her little finger. She knew it was childish, but she wanted to solidify the reality of that promise.

"Say it again, Fuji."

Their little fingers entwined together. "I promise that I will always be by your side, Harumi-chan." Fuji whispered softly.

"Arigatou, Fuji."

The tensai smiled and broke contact with her to reach into his pocket.

"Nonetheless, I have found the perfect solution for now." He took out something from his pocket and put them on the table between them. They looked like pieces of paper with colours and letters on them. Harumi contemplated them with her mouth open.

They were train tickets.

For a moment, the craziest thoughts passed through her mind. Maybe he wanted to elope with her, to run to a place far, far away from here where no one would know who they were or where they came from. They could start everything from zero, have a new life.

Or they would travel the world together. She imagined them going to Paris, and climbing up to the highest level of the Eiffel Tower. She imagined how the city and the world would look from up there, close to the heavens. Or they would be somewhere far from civilization, like at the top of a mountain. There they would be able to count all the stars in the firmament. They would fall asleep together, and in their dreams, they would travel to even more unimaginable places.

"W-w-what is the meaning…?"

It was probably only a trip to the mountains nearby.

"We are going to the airport, and then to whatever place in the world you feel like going." Fuji said casually.

Harumi clearly felt her heart stopping for at least two or three seconds. Her mouth was opening and closing without one word escaping her dry throat. She must have looked like a fish outside the water, but she couldn't care less. In fact, she was utterly speechless for the first time in her life. She'd never thought her fantasies could come true. She…

"Not really today." Fuji added and hid a laugh upon seeing the size of her eyes. Harumi released her breath as her fists tightened and her fingers itched to throw something at him.

"Baka! What kind of joke is this?" It was good to feel her vocal cords working once more.

_I almost believed it for a second, dammit_!

Fuji rested his chin on his hands. "Gomen, I couldn't resist. And besides, it's your fault for believing it."

Harumi's cheeks were quickly turning to a deep shade of red. If he was going to tease her, fine, but he would be naïve to think that she would just let him do so without some kind of counterattack. She couldn't let him win forever, after all. However, for now, she had no plan. She picked up the tickets grumpily.

"So it is a trip to the mountains, after all…" She groaned to herself.

"Hai. We will be alone there to talk."

She frowned. "Fuji, but the date on these tickets is tomorrow. So, we are not going today?"

"Maa, we can't just go there like this. You are not wearing enough clothes. Besides, I heard that the rain may stop tomorrow, and that will certainly make our trip more pleasant, don't you think?"

Harumi's eyes suddenly brightened. This was a date! A real date! She coughed a little to calm herself down.

"S-sugoi, Fuji. You've really thought this through. Well, you aren't called a tensai for nothing."

"Hmm? Do you think I'm a tensai?" His closed eyes scanned her face.

Harumi crossed her arms. "Nope, you are just a baka."

Fuji pretended to be offended. "Fine, then give these tickets back."

Harumi pulled them out of his reach. It was her turn to play a little with him. The young man and the young girl eyed each other with challenge, focusing on every move of the adversary. And then, Harumi's cell started meowing.

Fuji sat back with a sigh. "You still haven't changed that ring tone? You are incorrigible, Harumi-chan."

The young girl didn't pay attention to his words. Her eyebrows were arched. "It's Eiji." She said.

Fuji's smile faded somewhat.

"What do I do?" She asked nervously.

"Answer it."

Harumi inhaled a little, and then pressed on the phone icon. "Moshi, moshi?"

"Harumi, guess what?"

"Eiji! Hey! Hm, I don't know. Tell me."

"Oishi and I finally finished that school project I told you about! So I will be free today after all. Yahoo! So, you want to go somewhere?"

Harumi bit her lip. "Well… today?"

"Yeah! Unless you already have something to do?"

"Maa… a little bit… I have an exam next week."

"Nya, since when you are the nerdy type, Harumi?" There was a sigh from the other end of the phone. "But I guess it can't be helped. So, how about tomorrow?"

Harumi exchanged a panicked look with Fuji. "Ah, Eiji, today is good after all. I mean, studying on a Saturday almost seems criminal. Let's go somewhere instead, neh?"

"Nya, really? Sugoi!" There was a pause. "Hoi? Where are you now, Harumi? Doesn't sound like your house."

"Oh yeah! I-I am outside."

"With your friends?"

"By myself."

Another pause.

"Alright, then I can join you there. Where are you?"

"Hum… doing some shopping. I will leave soon anyway, so let's meet for lunch, okay?"

Eiji started talking excitedly about what he wanted to eat. Harumi held her phone with both hands and felt seriously pained for the lies she was telling him. Eiji didn't deserve that. Maybe she should tell him right there. She couldn't stand lying to him any longer.

A reassuring hand found its way to her shoulder. Harumi looked up to see Fuji bending over her, gently shaking his head. She closed her eyes and leaned against him.

_That's right. Tomorrow we will talk, and we will decide on what to do next. I trust Fuji. So, I will bear with this a little longer. I can do this._

"Alright then, see you there soon. Ja."

She closed her phone and wiped the tears from her eyes. Fuji crouched down in front of her. "Don't cry, Harumi-chan. It's… You have to lie to him because of me."

She shook her head and smiled. "It's alright. We are in this together."

Fuji had a sad smile. "You should go, then."

Harumi wiped her face a second time and smiled bravely. "Yes, otherwise I will be late."

She put the train ticket in the inner pocket of her coat, right against her heart, as a promise that everything will be better, soon. She picked up her bag and her still wet umbrella.

"See you tomorrow at the station, Fuji."

Fuji nodded, and then opened his arms slightly. Harumi rushed into them and blissfully pressed her face against his chest. His heart was beating loudly in her ears. She would give anything to stay like this in his arms forever, loved and protected.

But she had to go. She ended the embrace reluctantly and planted a goodbye kiss on his lips before rushing off.

Fuji put his hands in his pockets and sighed as he watched her leave him once more. He had his own problems to deal with. It wouldn't be truly hard to break up with Sayuri. He had finally managed to get over her completely. However, he feared the speed at which that girl's mouth could run. Therefore, he couldn't tell her before Harumi tells Eiji, or otherwise the redhead was bound to learn the devastating news from someone else's mouth.

* * *

**Sunday**

The rain had stopped, just like Fuji predicted. However, the grey clouds still wouldn't go away. Harumi put on warm and comfortable clothes. Her parents had gone outside of Tokyo the night before in order to visit a friend, so Katsuo and her had the house to themselves. She wondered for a moment if she could invite Fuji over after their trip to the mountains. But then, Katsuo's presence came back to mind, and she decided against it.

She arrived at the station thirty minutes later, wearing a warm sweater inside her coat. In her bag were two bentos that she had prepared herself. It reminded her of that time at the winter carnival, when she thought Fuji had asked her out. Only this time, it was finally real.

He was waiting for her, leaning against one of the pillars at the train station. He was always waiting for her these days. Harumi ran to him and threw herself in his arms. It was always such a bliss to see him, like she hadn't seen him in ages, although she knew full well that last time he had held her like this was only the day before.

It was scary at what point she needed him. She didn't how she had managed to live, really live, before she had met him. Maybe she hadn't really lived. Maybe the person who would go to school, eat, study, laugh and dream wasn't the real she. Maybe the real she had been asleep all this time, away from the physical sensations and the inner emotions, away from her hopes and dreams. Only now was the real she slowly emerging from her slumber, slowly discovering the world under new lights, slowly breathing the true air inside her true lungs. Fuji had awoken her. In these past few days, she had felt more alive than during her whole fifteen years of existence combined together.

"Let's go, Fuji!" She exclaimed cheerfully, one arm on his.

"Hai."

The train wasn't too crowded because it was Sunday. Therefore, Harumi and Fuji had the compartment all to themselves. She crawled beside him and bent over his legs to peek outside the window. The sceneries marching quickly past her eyes made her smile.

"Sugoi! It's so pretty outside!"

Even though the sky was still grey, the buds on the trees were starting to open up and to become leaves. Little birds were flying low in the sky just outside the train window. There were signs of life everywhere.

Fuji was amused and melted by the childish sparkle of joy in her eyes. He patted her head gently, which earned him a deep look from the bottom of that purple ocean.

"I'm glad winter is over." She said while huddling close to him. He passed an arm over her soft body in agreement. The perfume of her hair invaded his senses. God was she pretty! He felt so stupid for having feared this. He was foolish to have wished for a life without attachment to anything or anyone. If he knew it felt this good and peaceful to love and to be loved, he would have never pushed her away. He felt guilty for hurting the precious being huddled in his arms. What he had done was unforgivable, and he knew it. But right now he would try, at the best of his capacities, to make amends for the pain he had caused her. From this day on, he would protect her.

After they had some lunch on the train, a soft rain started falling once more, wetting the windows. The wind was blowing a little, making the tree branches sway. However, inside their compartment, it was cozy.

Harumi was sitting near the window, feeling somewhat sleepy. Beside her, Fuji yawned. They had spent the morning talking about Fuji's questionable penchant for wasabi sushi and other dubious-looking food, and Harumi's tendency to bump into everything on her way when she was worried about something. They teased each other a little bit, and then played a game of chess. In brief, they had done everything except talk about the matter at hand, which was how to tell the others about their ever growing relationship.

And then, the mountains finally came into view. Harumi and Fuji got off the train at the next station, and muffled themselves up in their warm sweaters. As they ascended the mountain slope slowly, their hands clasped together, they breathed in the pure air into their lungs.

After some time, they finally arrived at the summit, from where they could see the whole city and suburbs extended in front of their eyes. The clouds dispersed for a while, and the last ray of sunlight fell on the mountain side, illuminating the green grass at their feet, and enveloping them in its warm embrace. Harumi turned to see the sunlight dancing across the soft features of her companion.

"I want us to be together forever, Fuji."

She had a bittersweet look in her eyes. "That's why I will tell him, tell Eiji. Tomorrow."

Fuji blinked at the red sun, sighing bitterly. He would probably lose Eiji's friendship forever. However, even that was a sacrifice he was willing to make. He had thought about a lot of things during that day's trip. He hadn't stopped thinking, not even when Harumi and him had raced to the top of the mountains, not even when they had ate the bentos while admiring the view from above. He was feeling guilty for everything. If only he had asked her out earlier. However, pride, image, reputation… all meant nothing if he had to live the way he had done so before meeting her.

"Then, I will talk to Sayuri, tomorrow, as well. I'm glad you took this decision, Harumi-chan."

"I… I still don't know how I am going to do it. No, it's useless to think about that. I _have_ to do it. In return… I just need to know that it will be worth it. This story, our story, will have a happy ending, right?

Fuji cupped her face in his hands. "Ah, it will, if we want it bad enough. If we are sure about it in our hearts."

"I am sure."

And there they sealed their promise with a kiss, as the sun disappeared once more behind the thick clouds, and night claimed its ascendance over day.

* * *

Seven days and seven nights of thunder,  
The water's rising and I'm slipping under.  
I think I fell in love with the 8th world wonder.

* * *

**Monday**

Harumi looked outside the classroom window, at the fog covering the tennis courts. The fog had descended upon the city during the night, and now it covered the school yards, the passersby, the cars, and the rest of the world. It was afternoon already, and the visibility had improved somewhat, but still, sight was limited to a ten meter radius around the observer.

However, even the fog couldn't worry her more than her own problems. This was her last course of the day. She had seen Eiji three times, once in front of the school, once in the hallway, and once in the cafeteria. Yet, she still hadn't talked to him about _that_. She hadn't seen Fuji as much, so she didn't know if he had already talked to Sayuri on his part. If he did, then she should hurry up and tell her own boyfriend before he could learn it from someone else.

The bell rang, indicating the end of class. She put pencil and notebook in her bag, and exited the classroom absent mindedly. She talked to Amaya, Chiharu and Naoki on her way to the lockers.

She was feeling very nervous, which surprised even herself.

_I have to be strong_.

She looked outside at the thick fog. It resembled too much to her own state of mind, and so she hated it. She hated the fact of not being able to see clearly. All around her, students were whispering worriedly among themselves about the weather.

"How are we gonna go home?"

"This fog is so annoying! My papa won't be able to drive here to pick me up, so I will have to walk."

"It must be dangerous, even for the people walking on the sidewalks. I mean, I heard that there had been a bunch of casualties already. People walking had been run over by cars whose drivers couldn't see well."

"So scary! What are we going to do?"

Harumi was pissed off to overhear all these comments. She envied them…these people whose main worry at this particular moment was the weather.

"Yahoo! Harumi! Did you see the fog, nya?"

Harumi's blood froze in her veins. She didn't dare look at him, so she walked past him and arrived in front of her locker, that she opened like an automat.

The redhead seized her trouble expression, and passed a reassuring arm over her shoulders. "Don't worry about it, though. I will walk you home safely, nya."

Harumi clenched and unclenched her fists nervously.

_You have to do it. For his sake._

"Don't worry, Eiji. I can walk back all by myself." She said in a murmur.

The redhead smirked. "Nani! Nani! It's pretty dangerous since we can't see anything clearly! You will need me for sure!"

"No, no… I won't. I will be fine by myself, really."

Eiji frowned. "What's the matter? You don't look good, Harumi. Are you feeling okay?"

Harumi turned towards him, her eyes shaking. "Eiji. There's… something…"

Her friend looked hard at her, trying to decipher her thoughts. Seeing that innocence and sincere worry in his dark blue eyes, Harumi felt her vision become blurry. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"I… I…"

"Harumi?" Eiji was alarmed now. "What's wrong?"

"I… I'm sorry. Eiji, I'm so _sorry_."

Eiji took a hold of her shoulders. "Harumi, calm down. What are you apologizing to me for?"

The young girl felt like running away. She had to run away. She couldn't bear to be the one to break his heart. She wasn't strong enough. Her foot moved at the same time as her cell rang. Harumi froze upon hearing the familiar meowing sound.

She quickly wiped away her tears and nervously rummaged through her bag in search of her cell phone. When she took it out, her agenda fell to the floor. Harumi didn't notice, too busy reading the name of the person calling her. It was her brother. She frowned. He was probably worried about her getting home alone in this fog. She answered it, relieved to have an excuse to turn away from Eiji.

"Oniichan?" She whispered quietly into the phone.

If he was worried, she would yell at him that she was a big girl and could take care of herself. She needed to yell at someone.

However, there was no response from the other side of the line.

"Oniichan? Is that you?" She repeated.

In the meantime, Eiji bent over to pick up her agenda. When he took it from the ground, a piece of paper fell from inside its pages and slowly twirled to the ground.

"Katsuo? This is a very lame joke, you know? I'm not in the mood to be teased right now. If you have something to say, just say it."

A muffled sound found its way to her ears. She frowned in exasperation. "Katsuo? I am going to hang up now."

Eiji picked up the thing that fell off from the agenda. It was a picture.

Harumi sighed on the phone. "Katsuo…"

"Haru…"

A whisper. No, something even softer than a whisper, that Harumi barely managed to grasp.

"What? Speak louder, for God's sake!"

There was that muffled noise again, almost as if… "Oniichan… what…? Are you crying?"

She heard him drew in a hoarse breath. "Are you not feeling well?" She asked seriously, feeling her heart flinch.

"N-no, it's not me. My God, Haru…"

"What? _What?"_

"It's… o-okasan and otousan… they…"

Harumi's eyes widened as she listened to her brother speak. The meaning of his words took awhile to reach her brain, and when they did, everything went silent around her. Her cell phone slipped from her limp and sweaty hand at the same time as a picture was stuck in front of her eyes. She stared at it, unblinking, her brain too shocked to recognize the absurd colors and lines of that thing that invaded her field of view.

Slowly, very slowly, her mortified gaze shifted to the boy holding the picture. He was voicing words she couldn't hear. There was a pain in his eyes that she couldn't comprehend.

Her eyes slowly went blind as Eiji's face disappeared behind a dark curtain. She felt him shaking her a little by her uniform. But she couldn't feel him, couldn't hear him.

All that she could hear was her brother's sobbing voice echoing in her head.

_Okasan and otousan… they were in an accident. _

_They... My God, Haru... they are dead. _

_Dead. _

* * *

First of all, sorry that it took me two weeks again instead of one! But I think the length of this chapter compensates for it:p And second, the song I used for this chapter is "Eighth World Wonder" by Kimberly Locke.

As you can see, this is the chapter before the last one. So, what do you guys think? You want a happy ending for our couple? Or a sad one, if you are the drama-lover type?

Anyways, I can't believe that I found some Death Note fans here! I'm so happy!! I finished watching it a week ago, and I'm so sad about the ending! I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it, so I won't say anything. But seriously… Anyways, after Death Note, I watched Code Geass: Lelouch's rebellion. It's kinda like Death Note, although not quite. Lelouch is great! I love him! And now I'm watching Monster. The mood is like that of Death Note, but it gets kinda boring after 11 episodes. Anyone has any good anime to suggest?

Oh, before I forget, I posted a picture of Sayuri on my profile. So if anyone is interested in seeing how she looks like… be my guest!! Just one comment about the pictures: I haven't drawn them or anything. I don't even own them. I just found them on the internet, thought that they represented my characters well, and glued them together with the prince of tennis characters!!

Now, here are my replies to your reviews!

**Singer in the wind:** thanks for the review! I'm happy you like this couple! And here is da chapter you've waiting for, hope you enjoyed it!

**Ultimatedramaqueen:** haha, so happy you like it! and yeah, it FINALLY happened. Hope this chapter was "dramatic" enough for ya? Lol.

**Hajimari:** Yeah, like you can see, I'm more focusing on the Harumi / Fuji pair right now. After all, they are the protagonists of this story. As for the other couples, they will all appear in the next, and last, chapter. Don't worry, I won't let them hanging in the middle of nowhere, lol.

**BloodNinja555:** Aww, thanks for the review! Yeah, well, you can't command love, right? Harumi apparently chose Fuji, even if he hurt her and all. Geez, love is so complex and difficult to grasp, lol.

**Kp-sama:** lol, you aren't the only lazy one here. I hate to stand up and walk from my room to the kitchen, which is just like 6 meters away. Anyways, I never know when you guys are crying, lol. Like, sometimes, I haven't intentionally written something sad, and yet everyone is bawling their eyes out. So, gomen in advance if tears fall off. That wouldn't be intentional! Lol. Thanks for the review.

**Rita: **thanks for the great review, girl. Yeah, my god, everyone is feeling sorry for Eiji, and so am I. but I can't do much right now. Eiji will find the right person, eventually. LOL. Yo, after reading 24 chapters of my fic, I think you can make a safe guess and say that my faves are Fuji and Eiji. They are soooo awesome!! I love both of them equally, and if you tell me to choose, I probably wouldn't be able to. However, this fic is Fuji's love story because I fell in love with him first.

**JayleeJ:** omg, please don't die on me that often, LOL. Im so happy you liked it. and yeah, you can't deny true love, even if you try with all your strength!! Eiji will probably find true love, eventually, because im not sure if its gonna happen in this fanfic. YES, I finished watching Death Note in like 4 days. I had my exams and all but I just couldn't stop watching. I barely slept!! The plot is so so so SO good, and ( fangirly scream ) I'm absolutely in love with Yagami Light too!! He's awesome, so deliciously smart and evil! I love his psychopathic laugh, and I love how he thinks!! And of course I watched the Japanese version. Yeah, in the English version his voice sucks. And did you see his Japanese voice actor? He's so hot!! He also voiced for Kiba in Wolf's Rain and Tamaki in Ouran High school host club. Can u believe it? I would never have made the link between those three! Anyways, enough rambling, thanks for the review!

**Rhea:** thanks for the review! Yeah, I am thinking a lot about my Bleach fanfic! I'm so into Bleach right now, it's scary, man! Lol. Anyways, happy you liked the chapter, and that you are okay with Fuji / Harumi.

**Fujilovesme:** updated!! Thanks for the review:p

**SecretSnow:** thanks!! Hope you will keep reading!!

**AuroraRose:** it started being a funny fic, and then somehow it turned out dramatic. Lol. That's my bad habit kicking in, I guess. Thanks a lot for the review, and im so happy you kinda "feel" the story.

**Eiji.K.lover123:** Eiji is childlike. he obviously won't feel well about letting go of the person he treasures the most. That's why it's a complicated thing to write, even for me. but now that REAL tragedy has kicked in, maybe it will be harder for him to hate her.

**Morggie85 :** thanks for your two reviews!! Im truly grateful to see you again!! I know we havent talked much like this for awhile, but my teachers are really sadistic!! Next week is my last week of classes, so I probably won't have a problem posting on time. Still, if anything unpredictable happens, you know I will post within two weeks anyway! Hope the wait is not too terrible, lol. And I love it how you say that true love will conquer in the end. So TRUE. And also, im so touched to hear you say that my last chappie was the best! Yaaay!! Thanks! I always enjoy reading ur long reviews!! Take care, and continue reading:p

**Wingless-Crying-Angel:** I felt giddy writing the rain scene too!! (sigh) I mean, if only I could have that kiss in the rain… lol

**Anime 300:** thanks!! I know there are a lot of emotions. This is was true love should be all about:p

**Livelyrose:** THANKS! Yeah, at this point it seems obvious that Fuji and Harumi belong together. All the other couples will appear in the next chapter, and you will know what their relationship is gonna be like!!

**Harumifuji:** woah, im touched by your nickname!! I mean, you are using my couple as a nickname! I'm really really happy!! Lol. Tune in for the ending, 'kay? Ya wont be disappointed.

**Mr.nobody:** uh-ho, now I cant go against Oresama's will, now can I? I will do my best to please Oresama!!

**xxanimefanxx :** thanks for the encouragements!! I really really appreciate it. oh well, reviewing at least once is better than not reviewing at all, so thank you! Im glad you like it!! so, how did you find this chapter? ;p

**kawaiiSei-chan:** woah, thanks for ur 3 reviews! you caught up pretty quickly! You too are in the middle of Death Note? It is a great great anime, isn't it? I love the characters, the plot, the music, everything! Im just sad about the ending. I wont tell u anything in case you are not there yet! As for Bleach, I know some Bleach-haters, but I never listen to them anyway, lol. Byakuya, Gin, Ukitake forever!! Lol.

**Crazy Bubbling Blonde:** haha, thanks for the review! My French teacher is more sadistic than yours! He's actually totally insane. He's also high cuz he drinks too much coffee, and then his words don't even make sense. Plus, we have like an essay in class next week, so I really hate him right now.

**MysticBlood:** im glad you got some tips!! And I like to read other people's rambling, so don't worry about that, lol. Actually, I just put my own personal experience at love in this fic. Im glad it turned out pretty well!!

**Lady Aduka :** thanks so much for the review!! Omg, I cant believe you actually feel like this fic is really visual, because when im writing it, I kinda translate the images in my head into words!! Its like im watching an anime myself, lol.

**Demon-horse99:** yo!! Well, actually I havent seen the live version of PoT yet. I cant find one with good quality, that's why. I started watching a little on youtube but Echizen's actor sucked, so I gave up. I didn't even see Fuji!! What a shame, lol.


	26. Queen of my heart

Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for the long wait, but during the last two weeks I had my final exams, and so I had neither the time nor the inspiration to write! But right now, I'm finally back with the last chapter! It is a long one, in order to compensate for the wait! So enjoy this two in one!

* * *

**Queen of my heart**

A door.

Fuji's field of view was reduced to that of a door, which for the moment remained hopelessly closed, no matter how hard he stared at it. His legs were tired from having supported him in a standing position for such a long and yet indefinite amount of time. However, he wouldn't sit down. He wouldn't remove this heavy pressure from his legs, for if he did, if he stopped feeling that painful fatigue, then he would become like _them_.

Without looking at the people waiting by his side, he knew how their faces looked like and what kind of anxious feelings were passing through their eyes.

A boy was trying to suppress his sobs on the bench next to him. He knew that he was her older brother. Fuji forced his ears to become deaf to the pitiable sounds of sorrow coming from that boy's throat. He hadn't stopped crying ever since they had come here.

Some of his friends were trying to comfort him, with little success. It was as if the boy was drowning in his own ocean of grief from where no one could pull him back.

On another bench to his other side, Amaya and Oishi were seated with their hands clasped together. The girl with green eyes couldn't stop the trembling of her knees ; every now and then she would throw an anxious glance toward the door, almost as if she didn't really wish for it to open. Oishi had given up on comforting her, for no soothing words could reach her troubled heart.

And there was the redhead sprawled on the floor next to the door. His arms hang motionless on his knees as he stared fixedly at the tiled floor of the hospital wing. He had sunk into that position when Harumi had been taken into the room, and hadn't moved at all since then. One could think he was unconscious, if not for the occasional spasms that would make his muscles tense. The tensai knew that he was in shock.

Fuji pressed his hands against the wall on which he was leaning. He had never been so shaken and afraid in his entire life, not even when Kenji's friends had punched him, not even when he had lost Sayuri to this other boy so many years ago.

The door finally opened.

A doctor stepped outside the room in the company of a nurse holding a chart under her arm. Five pairs of anxious eyes turned in their direction.

Katsuo immediately sprang up from his seat and approached them. Struggling to banish the trembling from his voice, he addressed the doctor eagerly:

"Sensei, please tell me that my sister is okay!"

Amaya and Oishi stepped forward as well. Fuji uncrossed his arms, but didn't move. Only the intensity with which he eyed the doctor betrayed his anxiety. The older man placed his hands before him, palm facing outwards, and told everyone to calm down.

"No, no! Don't tell me to calm down, dammit!" Katsuo cried out in spite of himself in a strangled voice, his eyes puffy and red.

He was at his wit's end. Oishi put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Katsuo shook it off impatiently. "Sensei, my sister… Harumi… she is no longer like _that_, isn't she? She is herself again, isn't she?"

The doctor grabbed his shoulder in a comforting way. "She knows who you are."

Fuji's eyes widened as a trembling sigh escaped his lips. Slowly, his gaze lowered to his hands. They were trembling. His heart was pounding irregularly. He looked up slowly, but it wasn't the doctor that he was seeing anymore. He was back to that moment, to that frightening moment.

**Flash back**

The fog was so thick this time, and he didn't feel like walking all the way to Hyotei. However, the reason for his reluctance wasn't really the weather; it was because he was about to tell Sayuri the truth. It was a complicated thing. Fuji knew Sayuri well, and therefore knew that she would make a big fuss about the whole thing. She may even end up truly hurt. His sigh created a cloud of vapor in front of his mouth.

Back then, Sayuri had been a lot less considerate about Fuji's feelings when she had decided to see another boy without telling him, but even so, Fuji didn't want to hurt her on purpose. If there was a way for him to lessen the cruel aftertaste of the words that he was about to say to her, then he would do it. However, he doubted that such a thing existed.

As Seigaku slowly faded into the mist behind his back, he thought about Harumi. The situation was a lot harder for her than it was for him. Fuji knew how much she cared about the redhead. He knew that the break-up would not only break Eiji's heart, but also Harumi's. And yet, she was willing to go through all that pain for the sole sake of being with him. Sometimes, he wondered what was so great about himself. He didn't know why people admired him so much, or why they called him a tensai. Every time he looked into a mirror, it wasn't a tensai or an admirable person that he saw, but rather a stranger with an artificial smile.

And yet Harumi would risk losing everything for him. He looked up sadly at the fog masking the sky.

Just why did she love him?

His thoughts were scattered by someone knocking him to the side as he or she ran past him in a hurry. Fuji turned his head in time to catch a glimpse of the person's face, and was startled to recognize the girl he had been thinking about.

"Harumi-chan!" He shouted at her running figure, but she didn't pause nor to apologize nor to even look at him.

Fuji ran after her without hesitation. The glimpse he had caught of her face somehow terrified him.

Something had happened.

"Harumi-chan!" He yelled again. Even though she was within hearing distance, she didn't stop. Maybe she couldn't hear him.

Fuji lost sight of her, but didn't stop running. Ghostly buildings and people passed him by in blurry flashes. Everywhere he looked, there was only fog and more fog. He felt as if he was running in a labyrinth. A car's wheels screeched the asphalt at the same time as he felt a hand pull him back by his coat into the safety of the sidewalk. The driver stopped his car briefly to yell angry words back at him before taking off once more.

Fuji turned around, panting, and met the worried gaze of Amaya and Oishi.

"Fuji! Be more careful! What do you think you are doing?" Oishi exclaimed.

The tensai barely heard him. "Have you seen Harumi-chan?"

Amaya and Oishi startled and then looked at each other.

"Have you?" Fuji pressed.

Oishi met his gaze. "She ran off from the school after receiving a phone call, and…"

"Phone call? From who?" Fuji asked.

Amaya, even in her anxious state, registered the worried intonation in the tensai's voice. She didn't understand the meaning of this. Why was Fuji here? Why was he so worried about her? Could it be that…?

Oishi's voice cut off her thoughts. "From her brother. Her parents just died in a car accident. The police are now retrieving the corpses near the highway."

Fuji's eyes widened in shock at the same time as his mouth went dry. Oishi continued in a tired voice: "Poor girl. She must be in shock. And for some reason, Eiji was being mad at her. What a baka! Choosing a time like this to give way to his temper."

Fuji slowly backed off until his back touched the building's wall. The chilliness of the stone pierced his coat and invaded his skin.

"W-what?" He whispered, while passing a clumsy hand through his brown locks.

"Anyway – Amaya intervened – we need to find her quickly. She is all alone on the streets. In her state, it's dangerous for her to be running blindly. This fog…"

Fuji didn't listen further as he set out running again. Soon, Amaya and Oishi's shouting faded into the fog. Fuji was feeling a rush of panic rising in his chest. He couldn't find her anywhere. How could this happen to her?

He looked inside all the coffee shops, restaurants and shopping stores along his way. He cursed the fog under his breath as he ran back in his tracks to make sure that he hadn't missed her. When it seemed that his lungs could no longer deliver enough oxygen to his muscles, he stopped and panted, leaning against the door of a building. He needed to think. It was useless to run around madly. He had to think. Think.

_If he was in her shoes, where would he go?_

_If his parents just died, what would he do?_

"Harumi-chan… where are you?"

And then, realization hit him. "Of course… I should have known…"

He started running again, hoping desperately that she had made it there safely.

Ten minutes later, he was climbing up the stairs leading to her house's main entrance. Without pausing to catch his breath, he knocked with his fist while calling her name. No one answered him. He stepped back a little and looked at the windows. They were all dark; it seemed that no one was home.

His knocked again. "Harumi-chan? It's me! It's Fuji. If you are there, please answer me!"

However, only silence complied with his demand. Fuji still was convinced that she was there, behind that door. If there was one place that could remind her of her parents, it had to be her home. He grabbed the doorknob and tried to turn it. To his surprise, it was open. Fuji slowly pushed it inwards, revealing a main hallway that was slowly being eaten away by the evening shadows.

"Harumi-chan?"

There were objects scattered all over the floor. The coats and all their hangers were on the ground, as if someone had knocked them down in their hurry to get into the house. Fuji hadn't thought that the first time he would come to her house would be like this. His footsteps resounded grimly in the apparently deserted place as he steadily made his way to the living room.

He suddenly spotted her sitting there on the sofa in the dark. Her hair fell disorderly in front of her eyes, and she was staring right in his direction, as if she was waiting for him, or for anyone, to come home. An absent smile played on her lips when she detected his presence in the dark.

"Welcome home, okasan, otousan." Her voice sounded clear, almost childlike, as it resonated awkwardly in the silent room.

She clasped her hands together on her knees. "I knew you would come back soon. How was your trip? Did you get me anything?"

Fuji's relief soon became anxiety again. He approached her quickly and pulled her into his arms, pressing her head against his chest. "Harumi-chan, I'm so sorry. It's me. It's just me."

Harumi stayed motionless. Fuji held her tighter, afraid of her silence.

Slowly, Harumi pushed him away so as to look at his face. "You look tired, otousan."

She giggled. "How about I make you some tea?"

Fuji felt his heart sink. "Harumi-chan, I'm not your Dad. Look at me!"

Harumi's gaze was lost somewhere in front of her, as a small smile continued to play on her lips. Fuji shook her a little by the shoulders. "Look at me, Harumi-chan! Look at me. I am not your Dad. I'm Fuji! Do you recognize me? Can you hear me?"

Harumi frowned slightly, as if being disturbed while being in meditation. Slowly, her smile faded as she let her head hang down to her chest. Locks of honey hair tumbled down in front of her eyes once more. Fuji swallowed with difficulty. He would not let her drift away, not when he had finally found her.

He grabbed her shoulder and shook her a little. "Snap out of it, Harumi-chan! Please snap out of it! I heard about the accident. Your parents… your parents are not coming back. Come back to me, Harumi-chan. Look at me!"

Tears started to roll down her cheeks, dropping on her hands still clasped together. Her eyes still had that mortified look, and she didn't seem conscious that she was crying. However, somewhere deep inside, she had heard Fuji's words and had understood their meaning.

Her mouth opened a little, as if she was trying to talk. Fuji got closer to her.

"It hurts." She whispered.

Feeling his heart shatter, he pulled her close to him and hugged her as tight as he could, with his chin buried in her hair. He didn't know what to say.

His gesture, however, seemed to awaken something in her. With her tears still falling discontinuously, she yelled and pushed him back. Seeing his face, she backed away to the opposite end of the sofa.

"No! No! I don't want to hear it! I don't! Don't say it!"

Fuji reached out to her. He didn't understand.

"Yada! Don't touch me!"

Fuji felt his heart sink. "Harumi, please, trust me! I want to help you."

Tears were still falling in long streams from her mortified eyes. "Help me? Why? I don't know you! Who are you?"

**End of flash back**

"… and that's why we think it's best that you don't mention her parents' death to her right now." The doctor finished saying.

Fuji blinked and looked around. The remnants of the memory were still so vivid that he had to touch a thumb and a forefinger to his head to clear his mind. There was a bitter taste in his mouth, the same one he had tasted when Harumi had looked at him as if she hated him.

The doctor only gave permission to Katsuo to see the young girl. Katsuo wearily disappeared inside the room where his sister was lying.

Amaya and Oishi exchanged some more words with the doctor before leaving. Eiji was now sitting on a chair with his head in his hands. Fuji intercepted the doctor before the latter could walk away.

"Ano, sensei, does she still not remember her parents' death?"

The doctor paused and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "No, and like I already said to your friends, no one should tell her until she remembers by herself. If it takes too long, we will take other measures, but for now, please comply with it."

"Don't worry, I won't tell her anything. Demo… she knows who we are now, doesn't she?"

He needed to make sure. He sighed in relief when the doctor nodded. "Yes, it wasn't as serious as we had first feared. She is perfectly lucid now, except for the bit concerning her parents. Maa, normally this kind of temporary amnesia doesn't last too long. Yamazaki-san's mind has purposely rejected the reality of her parents' death or else she would have lost her mind in grief."

"I see."

"Now, it will more likely for her to recover sooner if someone important to her stays by her side, someone she can confide in."

The doctor eyed Fuji from behind his glasses. The young man nodded.

"I understand. Thank you for taking care of her, sensei."

When he returned in front of Harumi's room, he saw Eiji in the same position as before. Seeing his friend in this state made him feel miserable. Eiji had probably learned about him and Harumi being together, and therefore, Eiji probably didn't want anything to do with him anymore, but still, he couldn't just leave him there to suffer alone.

Fuji sat down beside him silently. Eiji wasn't aware of his presence until Fuji put a hand on his shoulder and said:

"Daijoubu, Eiji?"

He looked, stricken, as Eiji struggled to smile, to be his usual self. After a moment of silence, he spoke up in a weird voice:

"Harumi is okay. I should feel relieved. But I don't. Because I was the closest to her when it happened, and still, I didn't do anything. On the contrary, I was…

Eiji raised his eyes towards the person sitting beside him, but his words died in this mouth when he recognized Fuji.

"You…"

The sorrow and the guilt in his dark blue eyes slowly transformed into anger and madness. He shook Fuji's hand off violently. All the fears and remorse that he had kept bottled inside of him ignited into sheer anger when he recognized the one who had stolen Harumi from him.

Surely Fuji was to blame for everything that had happened. _He_ couldn't be the only one at fault here. Surely the traitorous deeds from his "friend" were responsible for the tragedy that had befallen them all. Fuji had betrayed him in every way. First, he had hurt Harumi by rejecting her, and then, when he was finally able to gain her heart, he had come back and stolen her from him. And now, Fuji was there, still pretending to be his friend. How hypocritical! Surely Fuji pitied him for how bad he had messed up. He didn't want anything from Fuji, and certainly not his pity!

"Fuji, you bastard! This is all your fault! Aren't you ashamed to even show your face in here? You deceived everyone! You took Harumi from me! She was everything for me, and you took her from me!"

Eiji stood up and towered above him with lightning in his eyes.

Fuji looked elsewhere. Eiji seized his shirt and pulled him close. "Don't you dare look away, you coward! You… do you know what you've done?"

"G-gomen, Eiji. I know this whole situation must seem like a betrayal to you, and I know that no apologies can erase the pain we have caused you, but, Eiji, I never intended to hurt you. And I know that I am to blame. It's my fault for realizing too late that for me, Harumi…"

He was cut off by a punch to the face. When he opened an eye, there was a burning pain on his right cheek, and he was lying on the ground. Eiji was panting beside him with his fist still raised. "Shut up! _Shut up_! I don't want to hear your reasons! It would have been better if you were never here!"

Nurses were running towards them to see what was going on. Eiji gritted his teeth, and then ran away towards the exit.

Fuji kept his eyes to the ground with his fists clenched. Someone kneeled beside him and a soothing voice asked : "Are you alright, sir?"

He looked up to see a nurse. He ignored the hand she was giving him and stood up on his own. There was bitterness in his blue eyes. His cheek burnt like fire. "Daijoubu." He stated bluntly before walking away.

* * *

Harumi's eyes fluttered open and were instantly met with bright rays of sunlight. She didn't recognize at first the room in which she was lying, but as her eyes fell on a jar of flowers posed on the night table, she remembered that she was at a hospital.

_How many days has it been…? _

Her lips became a thin line when she recalled how, when she had asked this question the day before, the doctor had gently answered that she shouldn't concern herself with such thoughts. When she had stated that she didn't remember how she had gotten here, and had asked what was wrong with her, the doctor had answered that she had fainted due to exhaustion and overstress.

Overstress over what? She didn't know. And then, many people had come to see her. For some reason, they had all looked tired and grim. Her brother had smiled all the way through his visit, but there had been something painful in his smile. Now that Harumi recalled the scene, his brother's grin almost gave her the impression that he was about to cry. It was troubling to see everyone acting so strangely. It scared her, and sometimes this fear would develop into horrible nightmares in her sleep, where blurry but gory images flew by in front of her eyes. She felt awfully lonely.

Her gaze wandered towards the window once more. The weather was so nice today... Her last memory before she found herself in this hospital was that of a rainy day. What had she been doing on that rainy day? It was pleasant, but she couldn't remember clearly.

When she turned her head, a lock of hair fell in front of her eyes. Intending to lift a hand to push it away, she suddenly realized that she couldn't. Her hand felt really warm ; warmer than the rest of her body.

She looked down and saw a young man seated on the floor with his head on the side of the bed. Her hand was firmly but gently locked in his. He was asleep. Harumi's eyes wavered in tenderness.

"Fuji…"

He must have spent yet another night with her. She didn't remember when he had come into her room this time. Maybe she was already asleep when he did. The tensai would visit her very often. His presence was a buoy in her ocean of doubts, for he was the only one who would act normally around her. She didn't know what had happened for the others to look at her in such a strange way, but Fuji's behaviour had never changed. If possible, she felt that he even loved her more than before. He was always so caring, always inquiring about her well-being, sometimes making her light hearted with his teasing.

And ever since the day when she had let slip the fact that she was afraid of sleeping alone, he had spent every night that followed by her side.

Looking at his sleeping face, she felt the urge of caressing it gently with her fingers. However, she was surprised at how tight he was holding on to her hand, even in his sleep, as if he were afraid that she would disappear if he let go.

It was early. Maybe she should go back to sleep as well. Now that he was here, she didn't have anything to fear. She closed her eyes.

_Fog. _

_Cars rushing by her side. People yelling at her. _

_A pain so striking that she could barely stand it._

_A distant and familiar voice repeating the same words again and again, like a broken record, played in the background. _

_The world in front of her was an image of sheer madness. The fog was closing all around her, grabbing her with its icy fingers. _

_The sound of a horn exploded in her ear. _

Harumi opened her eyes, her heart racing, as she suppressed the urge to scream. Tears were steadily rolling down her cheeks. She had made that nightmare yet again. Why did these images kept on haunting her? It was almost as if they were vestiges of her past, a past that she couldn't remember. "No… no… it can't be!" She moaned with a hand to her head.

Someone shook her gently while whispering comforting words in her ear. She slowly looked up and Fuji's face penetrated her vision. She found an anchor in his blue eyes, and kept on looking into them until the world stopped reeling.

"… ah, gomennasai. It was that weird dream again."

The bed screeched when the tensai sat on it. "Again? Do you want to talk about it?"

His kind voice soothed her. She smiled and shook her head, only wishing to forget about the whole thing. She found his hand and squeezed it gently. "Un-uh, it's alright. I don't really remember any of it. Arigatou, Fuji, for taking care of me all this time."

Fuji smiled. "It's not much. Besides, it's a chance for me to take pictures of you when you are asleep."

Harumi frowned. "P-pictures? Wait… you didn't…?"

A particularly playful light passed through his eyes when he took out a package from his coat pocket. Harumi opened it and took out several pictures. She instantly blushed.

"You are kawaii when you sleep, Harumi-chan!"

Harumi's blush increased in intensity as she went through each of the pictures. In one of them, her mouth was wide open, in another one, she was drooling. She brandished those pictures in front of Fuji's eyes angrily. "Chotto, Fuji, what part of this is kawaii!! It's human violation to take pictures without the person's consent, you know?"

"Hai… hai…" He barely listened to her as he took out his camera. "Then how about a picture of you now?"

She drew the covers against her chest in a protective manner. "N-no! Wait a second! Why here? I am in these horrendous hospital clothes, and this room is so blunt looking, and…"

Fuji smiled his trademark smile. "It doesn't matter to me. Do you know why I like cactus flowers? The fact that these plants are able to grow and flourish in the desert has always fascinated me. You remind me of them, in a way."

Harumi's eyes narrowed. "Heh? I remind you of cacti? Somehow… I'm not flattered."

Fuji laughed. "Maa, what I'm trying to say is that you are like a strong flower, Harumi-chan, one that can flourish in any harsh conditions. Even in this room, even in those clothes, you still look so… refreshing."

Harumi's features softened as a warm feeling reached her heart. Not wanting to show any of that, she just crossed her arms and looked aside sulkily. "Hum! Pretty words just to make me say yes! Well, alright, only one picture then!"

After he took the picture and saw her looking shyly at him from behind her covers, he smiled and gently patted her head.

"It's good to see your smile, Fuji." Harumi suddenly said as she looked at the sun outside the window. "The other people who came to visit me all looked so sad. Especially my brother. I even got the impression that he was on the verge of breaking down."

She reported her attention on him. "Demo, you know, you are the only one who is truly smiling at me. I missed that. Everyone… why do they look so grim? It's not as if someone died."

Fuji tensed. Harumi didn't notice, and went on. "Anyway, it's a beautiful day. It has finally stopped raining, neh? What date are we today?"

Fuji frowned slightly as he recalled the doctor's warning about dates. "Ah… saa."

Harumi gently puffed. "Oh boy, something so simple, and our tensai doesn't even know."

Fuji sighed. "Ah, I do not live up to my reputation, do I?"

"Not at all." She drew in a deep breath. "But keep on smiling for me, neh?"

Fuji didn't trust his voice, so he simply nodded.

"All this commotion has made me thirsty. I guess I will go and buy myself something to drink."

Fuji stood up. "I will go!"

"Huh? No, you have spoiled me enough. I…"

Fuji bent over and patted her on the head. "I can never spoil you enough. Just stay here and wait for me, neh?"

"O-okay. In that case, I will wait for you."

When he was at the door, she stopped him. "Fuji, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"My parents… have they come to visit me?"

Fuji's breath caught in his throat. His hand tightened on the doorknob.

"Fuji? What's wrong?"

He couldn't turn around and look at her. If he did, she would see the truth in his eyes.

"Hai, they did. They are worried about you too. They will always look after you, you know?"

"Hai. Demo… why didn't they stay?" She sounded sad.

Fuji's hand was so tight on the doorknob that his knuckles were white. "Something came up, I think. But they brought you these flowers, see?"

Harumi looked at the flower jar. "Really? They are so pretty!"

Fuji opened the door. "Then, I will be right back."

Without waiting for her response, he closed the door behind him and leaned against it. The doctor had told them to keep the accident from her, but it hurt to lie to her. It hurt to see that sparkle of joy in her eyes when it was all an illusion. Standing straight, he put his hands in his pockets and headed for the vending machine at the end of the hall. On his way there, he saw Katsuo walking in his direction in company of a man and a woman that were strangers to him.

He greeted Katsuo with a polite nod, and pursed his way. Harumi's brother looked as if he had just aged in one night. He looked exhausted, and there were bags under his eyes. Fuji wondered if he had slept at all. When he turned back to look at his back, he noticed the dark clothes they were all wearing. He was suddenly reminded that Harumi's parents' funeral was today.

Fuji stopped in front of the vending machine. He rummaged through his pockets, looking for coins, when someone handed him one. His "thank you" died in his throat when he recognized that person as being Sayuri.

"Your super girlfriend to the rescue!" Sayuri exclaimed with a wink.

Fuji declined her help politely as his fingers finally got a hold of a coin of his own. Sayuri bit her lower lip at her companion's indifference. "You seem to have taken a liking to the hospital lately! Someone you know in here?"

"Yeah."

"Well, judging from the lack of dates we have had lately, I'd say this person is pretty important. Who is it? A person close to you must be pretty interesting!"

Fuji sighed. With everything that had happened, he hadn't had any time to talk to Sayuri about Harumi and himself. Now seemed as good a time as any. Rolling the Ponta in his hands, he finally agreed to cross Sayuri's aqua eyes.

"Sayuri, we need to talk."

Sayuri became serious all of a sudden. "Yes, we do, Syusuke. I'm glad that you realized it's time to stop your little revenge."

Fuji frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Please, stop playing the role of the naïve boy. Just for how long do you intend on cheating behind my back?"

So she had known all along.

"Trust me, I meant to tell you a long time ago, but the circumstances…"

"Yeah, sure you were! You could have done it anytime this past week. I was quietly waiting in my corner to see when you will have the decency, or perhaps the guts, to tell me that you were seeing someone else."

Fuji suddenly laughed. "Sayuri, are you sure you want to be saying those things to me?"

The young girl suddenly blushed in annoyance, but she kept silent. Then, she forced herself to smile.

"Yeah, I shouldn't, but we are on equal grounds now. We have both betrayed each other's trust once, but it's useless to dwell on things of the past. That's what I kept on telling you, right? In that case, I won't dwell on your little affair either. Let's go home, Syusuke! Together."

She gave him her hand, but Fuji didn't take it. "It's not a thing of the past, Sayuri. And it's not a little affair."

"Oh come on, you can't be serious about her! I am the one you've loved all along! I am the one you were thinking about all this time! I know I broke your heart once, but please let me mend it for you. It's just that you still don't realize how much I care about you!"

Fuji stared at her sadly. "Sayuri, it's too late now. You can't do that anymore."

Sayuri grabbed his arm. "I won't let you walk away, Syusuke! Not now! Not after all we've been through."

Fuji sighed at the distress in her aqua eyes, but he had to say it now. "Sayuri, deep down, you know I will never be good enough for you. That's what you kept on thinking all this time, right? Even now, you think that you love me, but you don't. Maybe you are just happy you got me back. Maybe you want to mend your own mistakes. But you don't love me, Sayuri. You never did."

"That… That's not true! Whoever told you that is a liar."

"No one told me anything. I came to this conclusion on my own. I'm sorry, Sayuri. You can't be truly happy with me. One day, you will find that one person for you, and then you will understand what I'm telling you."

"No! Syusuke! Wait, Syusuke! Don't leave me now!" She cried.

Fuji only smiled sadly. "Take care, Sayuri. And find that happiness for yourself."

Sayuri clenched her fist as she looked at him walk away. "Is this for real? Shit, don't screw with me!"

Her eyes followed him as he disappeared at the corner of the hallway. Then it hit her that he wasn't going in the direction of that girl's room.

* * *

Harumi gently twisted the marguerite's stem between her fingers, looking at the thin white petals surrounding a brightly yellow button. Staring at its center was as like staring at a small sun. Only her mom would think of bringing her such pretty flowers, even though marguerites were not her favorites. She frowned. Why didn't her mom bring her favorite flowers? Yuki Yamazaki couldn't possibly not know that her daughter's favorite flowers were lilacs. She remembered how they used to pick them up together from the lilac bushes when she was little and the weather was nice.

Maybe her mom hadn't found any lilacs. That was too bad. Besides, she shouldn't worry about little details like this. The important thing was that her mom thought about her, and that she had been here, even though she had to leave because of some business.

But what business? What could be more important than her daughter's well-being? And also, if she had to leave, then why couldn't Dad stay and keep her company?

The door opened slowly. The person didn't knock, so she assumed that Fuji was back.

"Sorry for the trouble, Fuji." She said while still rotating the flower. "Neh, Fuji, I have a question…"

"Gomen, Fuji will still take a while."

Harumi looked up anxiously at the unfamiliar and yet familiar voice. She saw a girl with a huge cap and witty aqua eyes standing in the threshold. It took her a moment to recognize her.

"S-Sayuri?"

The silver haired girl pushed the door close with one thumb. "Hi there! We haven't really talked ever since that day at Seigaku. I hope it's not too late for us to get to know each other."

She sat down on a chair beside her bed. Harumi was confused. How did Sayuri know she was here?

"W-where's Fuji?" She asked.

"Yes, where is he, indeed? Hmm, let me think… Oh, that's right, I saw him at the vending machine a while ago. He is so sweet, bringing you Ponta and keeping you company, isn't he?"

Sayuri smiled and then put a lock of silver hair behind her ear.

"Now, before he comes, let's have a nice little chat, only you and me, neh? After all, it would be a shame for me not to know the person dearest to Syusuke's heart."

* * *

Eiji was outside the hospital, sitting on a bench. Every day, he would come to this place, but would hesitate to go inside. He wasn't ready to face Harumi. Despite what everyone said, the way he had acted towards her when she had just learned the devastating news had to have something to do with her present state.

The glass doors opened and Katsuo and a woman, all dressed in black, went out into the parking lot in front of the hospital. Eiji stared at his own somber clothes, remembering that Harumi's parents' funeral was to be held this afternoon. It was sad that Harumi couldn't even get to attend it since she didn't remember that they were dead. Learning that, her friends have decided that they would all go to the funeral together in order to represent her.

Eiji's tired eyes followed Katsuo's trajectory as he walked to the car. The boy had been having it hard all this time. He had to deal with the pain of the loss all by himself. Eiji wondered for a second who the woman who walked beside him was, but then discarded it as something insignificant.

If he were in Katsuo's shoes, would he be able to stand all this despair all by himself? Would be able to go to the morgue and identify the cold corpses of his parents? Would he be able to hold it together when they were burnt into ashes? He didn't know. He only knew that Katsuo was an adult now. All the childishness that he may once have possessed had entirely disappeared from his eyes.

Eiji told himself that he should at least go and see Harumi before attending the funeral. However, he didn't know how he would feel if he saw Fuji with her in her room. He knew that the tensai was very likely to be there, and so he didn't want to see them together. He remembered how he had punched him the last time he had seen him. He had been so angry back then. However, now, all that anger was gone, and there was only emptiness left.

He couldn't understand Harumi. How could she go back with Fuji? How could she do this to him? He remembered the shock he had felt when he had seen that picture inside Harumi's agenda. That damned picture… if only he hadn't ever come across it.

He took it out from his pocket and stared at it hard. The picture was crumpled and dirty, but one could still recognize a young man with his arms locked around the waist of a young girl. They were sliding down an icy toboggan. It was taken at the winter carnival.

Eiji had glued the pieces together. So when everyone was looking for Harumi after she had run away, she was actually spending time with Fuji. He didn't have the right to be mad at her for that, because at that time they hadn't been together yet. However, the fact that she kept this picture in her agenda meant that she still couldn't forget about Fuji, and that she needed to have a concrete proof of what they had once shared.

He gritted his teeth. He didn't want to hate her for it, but didn't know if he could find it in himself to forgive her either.

He looked at his watch. It was 1:50pm. It was almost time for the funeral.

* * *

She wasn't in her room. As soon as he saw that, Fuji knew that something had happened. Harumi wouldn't leave her room. She hadn't left her room in days, so why would she do it now?

The funeral was today…

No, she couldn't have any means to know it.

He put the Ponta can on the night table and sat on the bed. Staring at the door, he hoped that she would step in shyly and say with a smile and she just wanted to take a walk. However, the minutes passed by and no one came.

"Where are you, Harumi-chan?" He muttered anxiously.

She said she would wait for him. She couldn't have remembered everything while he was away, could she?

Just as Fuji was stepping into the hallway, footsteps resounded behind his back. Turning around expectantly, his eyes met those of his Buchou instead. To his surprise, the blonde girl, Naoko, was with him. They were both wearing dark clothes.

"Tezuka, the funeral has already started, hasn't it?"

"Bad news, Fuji-san!" Naoko cut in sharply, losing her usual shyness.

"What happened? Does it have anything to do with Harumi-chan?" Fuji asked while putting his hands on her shoulders.

Naoko, struggling to regain her breath, could only nod.

Tezuka spoke up. "We were on our way to the funeral when we spotted her walking on the streets while still in her hospital clothes."

"What?" Fuji exclaimed.

"When she saw us, she started running away. M-my sister went after her, and we decided to come here and look for you, since we knew you were supposed to stay with her at the hospital today." Naoko completed.

Fuji's heart was beating frenetically. "Alright! Thank you for telling me! I will go after her."

Tezuka caught a hold of his arm. "Fuji, you are the only one she truly trusts, so we are counting on you to bring her back."

Fuji nodded and ran downstairs towards the main entrance. He suddenly spotted Sayuri getting out by the main door. He caught up with her, and when he passed her by, she turned around and smiled at him slyly.

Fuji stopped running. He couldn't believe it. Could Sayuri have…?

"Did you do it?" He asked without turning back to look at her.

Sayuri chuckled, but ignored him. As she was about to pass him by, Fuji's arm flashed in front of her eyes as he hit his fist against the wall.

"Let me pass!"

"Did you do it?" He repeated.

Sayuri felt shivers running up and down her body at the icy calmness of his voice. "S-so what if I did! Are you going to hit me?"

She laughed almost hysterically. "You are such a fool, Syusuke! With your reputation, you could have any girl you want, and yet, you chose her! This pathetic little…"

Fuji looked at her from above his shoulder. There was a cold ring of fire burning around his clear pupils. Sayuri stepped back in fear. Slowly, Fuji lowered his arm. The knuckles of his hand were bleeding.

"I wonder, he said, how I could have ever loved someone like you."

The glass doors opened and Fuji went out running.

* * *

Harumi watched everything, leaning against the rough trunk of a withered tree in the local cemetery. A group of people all wearing dark clothes stood in front of a two newly erected tombs. Their heads were bowed low as they listened to a preacher speak. To Harumi, it all resembled a grotesque dream.

The scene in front of her eyes couldn't be happening. And then, as the sands of time fell little by little, the funeral came to an end. Everyone put a flower in front of the two tombs. Discreet sobs could be heard from where she was standing. And then, people started to disperse and to disappear until no one was left.

It all seemed like the snapshots of a bad movie. She couldn't believe her parents were truly gone.

When she slowly went out of her hiding place and trailed to the graves in her bare feet, there was still one last person in front of the graves, who was kneeled down.

Harumi stared down into her brother's face, and she didn't recognize him at all. This boy with a mature and sad gaze wasn't the brother she knew.

She looked at the writings on the graves.

_Yamazaki Yuki_

_1967 – 2004_

And beside hers :

_Yamazaki Touya_

_1965 – 2004_

_May they rest in peace._

At least her mom and dad would be together in death as they were in life. She fell on her knees and then passed her arms around her brother's neck. The latter startled, suddenly aware of her presence.

"H-Haru?"

"It's alright, oniichan. You don't need to carry this burden all by yourself anymore. I'm so sorry for not having been there with you when you needed me the most. I'm sorry for having been more of a burden than a support."

Katsuo had promised himself that he would be a man and not cry anymore. However, as he held on to his sister, he started sobbing like a small child. Harumi clang onto him and cried as well, constantly whispering that she was sorry.

Fuji watched the scene from afar, feeling sorry for them both. Anything he did right now would not reach any of them. He decided to leave the siblings alone for the time being. He suddenly noticed that the strange woman was looking at them as well with tears in her eyes.

Her eyes were a clear shade of purple.

* * *

After the funeral, Harumi didn't come to school. It was to be expected. Fuji decided to let her catch up with her brother. She probably didn't need him to intrude into her life right now. After school, he would pass by her house every evening, but the curtains were always drawn. He didn't know if she was doing well. Since she made no gesture to call for him, he deduced that she wanted to be left alone to grieve. He was worried that she may break down again, but decided to believe in her.

And then, one day, he learned that Eiji had finally been to her house. So, the redhead had found the strength to forgive her. When he came back from her house, there were tears in his eyes, but somehow he seemed freed from a heavy burden. Fuji met his eyes for a second, but Eiji didn't say anything to him. The tensai wanted to be friends with him once more, if it was possible. The only thing he could do now was to let time mend all the wounds.

A few days later, Harumi called him on his cell phone. He was happy and surprised to hear her voice. She sounded quite calm as she said that she wanted to see him. She then gave him rendezvous that same night.

At 10 pm that evening, Fuji pushed open the door leading to the school roof. He had thought that it would be locked, since it was late at night. However, Harumi had somehow managed to open it and to leave it open for him.

Of all the places she could have chosen for the rendezvous, he was surprised that it was the school rooftop.

The door creaked when he pushed it open. Fuji stepped outside and looked around, but the place seemed deserted at first. He made some hesitant steps to the left, and finally spotted her.

She was standing at the edge of the roof with her hands clasped together as if in prayer. Her eyes were staring far into the distance, and the night breeze made her untied hair fly around her neck. Fuji gasped upon seeing her in such a dangerous position.

Running towards her, and trying not to startle her, he gently closed his hands on her shoulders.

"Harumi-chan! What are you doing? Come down."

Harumi looked at him from the corner of her eye. "Ah, you are here. Don't worry, I was just looking at the city lights. It's so beautiful, isn't it?" She spread her arms wide and then pointed at the starry sky.

"It's almost as if the stars have fallen from the skies. I have never paid attention to the night view before. This city is so beautiful. This city where you live in, Fuji."

Fuji's grip softened on her shoulder as he let his eyes dive into that ocean of sparkling lights. "This city where you live in as well, Harumi-chan."

Harumi stared absent mindedly at the colourful neon lights. "This city…"

Fuji gently pulled her away from the edge of the roof, afraid that a stronger breeze would make her lose her balance and fall. "Are you doing well, Harumi-chan? Are you eating well? Sleeping?"

The young girl nodded once. Fuji waited for her to say more, but she remained silent.

"If you need something, don't hesitate to call me, alright?"

Harumi nodded again. After staying away from her for so long, Fuji couldn't help but to stare at her face, as if trying to engrave her features into his heart. The city lights were reflected in her eyes and she looked down on the city. Suddenly, she spoke up:

"When you were sick at the ski stay in the castle, and when I was taking care of you at night, you asked me to call you by your first name. When you woke up, you didn't remember saying those words to me." A small smile played on her lips.

Fuji stared at her head, at her brown locks flying in the breeze. "I have done a lot of hurtful things to you, and now that just saying sorry won't make it right, but still… gomennasai."

Harumi shook her head gently. "I didn't say that to make you feel guilty. I don't actually mind by which name I call you, as long as I know that when I do, you will turn around and smile at me like you are doing right now."

Fuji attracted her attention by closing his hand on hers. "In that case, would you please use my first name from now on?"

To his surprise, she slowly shook her head. "For some reason, I feel more comfortable calling you "Fuji" now. It seems that my tongue has grown familiar with that name. Will you let me use it for a little longer?"

"Yes, but are you sure…?"

"I'm sure."

"Alright then."

Harumi drew in a deep breath. Her gaze suddenly wavered.

"So, on the phone, you said that you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

For only answer, she rested her forehead on his chest. Fuji wrapped his arms around her and they stayed like this for a while. He thought they should have done this a long time ago. If only he had been less stubborn and stupid, they could have shared so many moments together.

But everything was alright now. He knew she was broken. He knew she had probably called him out there because she needed him. If she was broken, he would fix her. He would make it alright for her again. They had plenty of time ahead of them now.

"Fuji?"

"Hmm?"

"I… I'm leaving Tokyo."

Her words fell into the void. Harumi's hands tightened on Fuji's back; the cutting edge of these words wounded her own heart as they came out of her mouth.

She felt his arms stiffen around her body. She did not dare to look at his face. The next words flew out of her mouth in a dull tone, as if she had already rehearsed them over and over again. "My Mom's sister came to the funeral. She will be taking us back with her when she leaves for France. I tried to convince her that I wanted to stay, even if I had to sleep in the streets, but she just wouldn't let me. I tried everything. I got mad, I yelled, I cried, I refused to eat, but nothing works. Nothing works anymore."

She paused while tears rolled down her cheeks. Silly her. She promised herself that she wouldn't cry anymore. She knew every word she uttered felt like a knife to his heart, but she just couldn't keep it all inside anymore. Burying her face in his t-shirt, she stuttered and sobbed at the same time.

"I told her all my friends are here in Tokyo. I told her all about you. Right after my parents died, I can't bear to lose another person I love. But she just won't listen. She won't understand. She doesn't sympathize. She is so cold! I hate her! Why did she have to come here? The worst is that Katsuo is on her side. Everyone is on her side. They all want me to leave! Fuji, please ask me to stay! Be on my side! Ask me to stay, and I will do anything to stay. I will run away. I will hide, and then wait for them to go away. I will do anything. Just… Fuji… "

She couldn't breath. She gripped Fuji's t-shirt as hard as she could. The minutes passed by slowly after she'd stopped speaking. The familiar noises of the city at night reached her ears faintly, as if from another world.

"When are you leaving?" Fuji finally asked in a low voice.

She had to struggle for a moment before regaining her voice.

"The day after tomorrow."

"For how long are you going to be gone?"

"I don't know."

"Are you… coming back?"

"I don't know."

There was more silence.

"Fuji, just ask me to stay. You want me to stay, don't you? Say it and…"

"No… you should go." He finally whispered.

Harumi's eyes widened. His voice felt so distant. "What?"

"You… you should go. Your relatives in France will take good care of you. If you stay here…"

"I can't believe it!" She yelled angrily. "Why are you talking like them? You are on their side too, right? Even you! I thought that you were the only one who would _understand_! I can't persuade them alone, but I figured that if you were with me, then we could do it! We could figure out a way! And yet you are saying this like you don't care at all!"

Angry tears were flowing out of her eyes as she pushed him away with all her strength. "I hate you!"

As soon as they were apart, Harumi saw his face, and gasped. It was the first time that she saw him crying. Tears were rolling down his cheeks, and he made no gesture to wipe them away. It was as if the ice of his blue pupils were melting under the pain.

Her anger was quickly replaced by remorse. She passed her arms around his neck and held him close with all her strength as she sobbed. "I-I'm so sorry, Fuji. Please forget what I just said! Please! I didn't mean it. I could never hate you! The only person I hate is myself. I-I was only thinking about me. I was centered on my own pain, but I never paused to think about yours. Oh Fuji… I'm so sorry."

Fuji hugged her back in silence.

"Demo, why do you want me to go?" She asked desperately. "I don't want to lose you!"

Finally, he put some distance between them and clasped her face in his hands until they were standing forehead to forehead. That pain in his eyes was unbearable to her, but she didn't look away.

"Listen to me closely, Harumi-chan – his voice was shaking slightly - You can't run away from your aunt. She is the only relative that you've got, and she will give you and your brother a new home. And your brother may seem very brave on the surface, but he needs his sister more than anything right now."

Harumi looked away. "But… what about us? I need you too, Fuji."

Fuji stroked her cheek gently. "Even if you go away, we won't lose each other. You will go to a new place, make new friends, and lead a happy life. You will remain yourself, that cheerful and caring girl to whom I have given my heart."

Harumi bit her lips and kept her eyes in his, even though her sight was made blurry by her tears.

Fuji continued. "In the meantime, I will stay here, and I will wait for you. I will wait for the day when you will come back to me. And if you can't come back, then I will go to you. I will find you, no matter where you are. I will find you because our hearts are connected. Can you feel it, Harumi-chan?"

The young girl drew in a deep breath and let out a "hai" in a trembling voice.

"And remember that I will always be with you no matter how far away you are. Do you remember our promise? When you feel lonely, just call out my name."

Harumi dried her tears with the back of her hand. "If I call out your name, will you be there?"

"I will be there… in your heart."

Harumi nodded as Fuji gently wiped away her tears and she gently wiped away his.

The young girl had never looked so fragile and lost. Fuji couldn't bear the thought of never seeing her again, but for her sake, he had to let her go.

"Alright then – she whispered – I will go. But Fuji, you have to promise me one last thing. I know it will be difficult, but you have to keep this promise."

"Anything."

Harumi's gaze wavered. "Promise me that you won't come to see me off at the airport."

Fuji's eyes widened. "What? But that…"

"I don't want to say goodbye to you! I have to hope that we will see each other again. We have to see each other again! I don't want you to see me leaving. And I don't want to see you before leaving, because if I do, then my heart will waver and I won't be able to go. I know it. So… please…"

Fuji looked away.

"Please!"

Harumi bit her lips and closed her hands on Fuji's shirt. So she would be selfish until the end. Fuji had done so much for her, and yet she was always asking for more. But in spite of knowing that, she knew with even more certitude that she would be unable to say "goodbye" to him. That's why...

"Fuji... promise me! Promise me... or... let me stay with you... "

_I want to stay with you! I want it so bad! Fuji..._

She turned her back to him and faced the city lights in order to hide the new tears falling from her eyes. She had to regain her composure. She couldn't let her decision crumble here. Her eyes widened slightly when she felt him hugging her from behind. She knew he was hurting. Despite his optimistic words, he had been hurting inside all this time.

She knew that her request was painful, but if she saw him before boarding on that plane, she would become blind to anything else except him. She knew she would lose control over her feelings. She didn't want him to see her crying and yelling and begging everyone around her to let her stay. If she wanted to maintain a minimum of decency before leaving, she just needed him to promise her that one thing.

His arms tightened around her waist, as if he had managed to somehow understand.

"Alright then. I promise, Harumi-chan." He whispered.

Harumi closed her eyes. "Thank you."

"I… I have long lost faith in other people and in myself, but then you came and you changed all that. You changed _me_. For that reason, even now, I'm able to believe that this can't be the end between the two of us. I believe in us. I believe this is not goodbye. Thanks to you, I think I can trust people once more. Yes, after all, I... "

He leaned in closer and whispered three words in her ear. She covered her mouth with her hand. It was the first time that he had said those words to her. It almost made her happy again.

The young girl placed her hand on top of his, as a bittersweet smile crossed her lips.

"Yes… and I love you too, Syusuke. With all my heart."

She turned her head slightly, and Fuji leaned in and kissed her.

Their two silhouettes melted into one under the night breeze and the stars, together for one last time.

_So here we stand  
In our secret place,  
With the sound of the crowd  
So far away.  
You take my hand,  
And it feels like home.  
We both understand,  
It's where we belong._

_So how do I say,  
Do I say goodbye?  
We both have our dreams,  
We both wanna fly,  
So let's take tonight  
To carry us through  
The lonely times._

_I'll always look back  
As I walk away;  
This memory will last for eternity.  
And all of our tears  
Will be lost in the rain  
When I find my way back  
To your arms again.  
But until that day,  
You know you are  
The queen of my heart._

_So let's take tonight,  
And never let go.  
While dancing we'll kiss  
Like there's no tomorrow.  
As the stars sparkle down  
Like a diamond ring,  
I'll treasure this moment  
Till we meet again._

_But no matter how far,  
Or where you may be,  
I just close my eyes  
And you're in my dreams.  
And there you will be,  
Until we meet._

_O_

_O_

_O_

_O _

**3 years later:**

The editor working for the edition "Pochette" glared at his watch impatiently. She was late. She was always late. There was not one single time that she had been on time ever since he had become her editor.

And he, Patrique Lamarck, was particularly well-known for the shortness of his temper. He would have quitted being her editor a long time ago if not for her exceptional talent. Every work she had submitted up until now had been worth the wait.

He sighed and then started pouring coffee into his half filled cup. The door banging open with a huge noise startled him badly, making him pour coffee all over the place on his desk. Slamming his fist so hard against the table that it made his cup, lamp and papers tremble, he stood up and shouted:

"Miss Yamazaki! Do you know how horribly late you are?"

The young girl in front of him rose an arm, meaning for him to wait, while she panted with her hands on her knees and a paper package under her arm. Patrique felt a vein pulsing on his forehead. How much longer did she intend to take her time?

"I'm really, truly, awfully and honestly sorry, monsieur Lamarck!"

The young girl exclaimed while finally looking up with a huge smile. Patrique crossed his arms and sat back on his chair. He backed off a little when Harumi hurried to the front of his desk and let her bag fall down on it with a loud BANG.

"W-what are you doing?" He yelled.

Harumi muttered under her breath in Japanese while apparently searching for something.

Lamarck coughed to attract her attention. "So, I hope everything went well this time. I hope that you haven't forgotten that the deadline for your new work is today."

Harumi nodded distractedly at his words and let the paper package fall on the desk in front of him from under her arm. Patrique looked down on it suspiciously. It was badly crumpled, and there was a huge stain on the cover, of unknown nature. He sighed inwardly.

Were all young writers as crazy as her nowadays?

"Ah, found it, found it!" Harumi declared cheerfully while sticking a crumpled piece of paper in front of her editor's nose.

Patrique had to back away in his chair in order to decipher it. "What is this…? – he muttered while his eyes traveled across the title written in capital letters. "Le…ttre… de… démi... démission??"

Harumi grinned with all her teeth. "That's right, Lamarck-sama! As of today, you are no longer my editor! I'm quitting!"

Seeing the size of her editor's jaw, she blinked. "Huh? What's wrong? What's with that astounded face? I mean, you should be throwing confetti inwardly for finally getting rid of me, right?"

Patrique stood up, with his eyes the size of two saucers. "What's the meaning of this? You can't quit!"

Harumi scratched her head. "Well… I just did, no?"

"B-b-but why? You are doing so well! Your two last novels had been best sellers here in France! You are not even eighteen yet and you are already at the top of your career! You can't just abandon everything now!"

"Wrooong! Lamarck-sama, I just turned eighteen today!"

Patrique blinked. "Oh, happy birthday!" His forming smile became a frown when he let his fist fall down on his desk for the nth time that morning. "But that's not the point here! The point is that you can't quit! Why are you so carefree about your career? This is… hey, are you listening to me?"

"… and then that means that I am an adult now and that I can finally do what I want! Isn't that awesome, Lamarck-sama? I have been waiting for this day for so long!"

Patrique felt like exploding. Before he could speak up, Harumi had already picked up her bag and was already at the door. Patrique felt his world reeling uncontrollably towards insanity. He had been her editor for two years, and in two years, she had produced two best sellers. His work with her had been like riding on top of a long rollercoaster. And now, the ride had been abruptly stopped, and he didn't understand why.

He looked at the impulsive and cheerfully girl standing in his threshold. She was wearing a thin purple hair band, and her locks of honey hair fell freely around her waist. Her purple eyes were sparkling more than usual under her determined eyebrows. She was such an unusual girl, he thought.

Before he knew it, he had stood up. "Wait a second, miss Yamazaki! Just where are you going?"

Harumi looked at him, surprised, and then the most radiant smile that he had ever seen illuminated her soft features.

"To Japan, of course!"

She turned around excitedly and looked at her reflection on a nearby window. "I wonder what he will think of me after all this time! Am I prettier than before? Aww, he must be so handsome now! Waaah! I can't wait to see him!"

She pivoted on her heels and stepped outside Patrique's office.

The young editor reached out for her desperately. "Wait… I don't understand…"

Harumi smiled and pointed at the paper package on his desk. "I hope you will enjoy reading my last novel, Lamarck-sama! It's actually a partial autobiography, see? Anyway, these two years have been a bliss! I had so much fun working with you! Thank you for everything! Take care, okay? Ja ne!"

And on that note, she shut the door. Patrique remained in his stance for at least a minute, before he finally let himself fall on his chair. He tried to pour some coffee into his cup, but saw that the coffeepot was already empty. He took the paper package and tore it open. Free sheets of papers flew out of it. He picked up the first one and started reading :

"This story debuted by a cold morning of January. I was fifteen…"

**o**

**o**

**o**

**o**

**END **

* * *

Oh my God, I can't really believe that it's over! It makes me kinda sad. I had such a great time writing all of this! And of course, nothing would have been the same without you guys! You were so amazing! You encouraged all the way till the end, and I can't say thank you enough!

I will be working on more stories starting this week! I mentioned that I wanted to write a Bleach story, but then the other day another Prince of Tennis story flourished in my mind, lol. The genre is going to be completely different, though! I think I will alternate between these two stories from now on!

And also, I think I will write a special for this fanfic as well. It won't be a real chapter. Actually, I won't tell you what it is right now! I'm gonna keep it a secret until I post it, haha!

Alright, then thanks again for all your support, and see you all next time!!

burningSunset


	27. Special Message

Hey guys!

So you must be wondering who the heck I am by now, lol, and I wouldn't blame you. It's been years since I finished this fic "If I Let You Go". And I know I said I was gonna write a special, but then it never happened. Sorry about that XD. I also said that I wouldn't write a sequel for it, but you know what? These days some ideas for a sequel have actually been floating around in my mind. So many questions are in fact still left unanswered...

So what would Harumi and Fuji's reunion look like?

Would things still be the same? After all, three years did pass. And from what I know, most long distance relationships don't end up working in the end.

So would Harumi and Fuji be the exception, or will they end up like the norm and drift apart?

And about Eiji?

Those are basically some of the questions that I think a sequel _could_ answer.

The thing is, it's been such a long time now, and I'm sure most of you have forgotten the story by now, or couldn't care less for a sequel any longer. So I'm just posting this up to gauge your reactions a little. Should I write a sequel? Should I just drop it?

Your call :)

burningSunset

EDIT: Well, seems like all of you were in favor of a sequel, so guess what? I'VE WRITTEN ONE. lol. Go check it out and tell me what you think! It's called "Fire and Rain".

Thanks for all the support btw! I was so happy to talk to all of you again! :D


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